Unangan
by Lbug84
Summary: A continuation of Unalaska, following the Everdeen family in Aleut society. Read Unalaska first. M for language, mature themes, violence, and straight up SMUT.
1. Adgilaq

**Muah! You are all amazing. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the reviews, private messages, feedback, comments, etc. Each and every one motivates me to write the next chapter.**

**Please read Unalaska before diving in here. If you don't you'll be confused, maybe angry, and you'll only have yourself to blame.**

**And so I give you the continuation of our Aleutian Everlarkdair story. I am so interested to read your responses. We'll tie up some loose ends, continue the adventure, and enjoy some smutty smutty smut smut along the way.**

**I'm also posting Gale's story separately. It's related, but really it's own thing. I hope you'll follow both storylines.**

**A huge thank you to She's Classy for being an archeological fountain of information, and kicking up my Aleut vocab a notch. Without her, the family structure would be a mess.**

**I don't own hunger games or profit from these stories. I'm just messing around :)**

Adgilaq

The day Peeta finally admitted out loud that Katniss loves other people, was the day he started to love them himself. Peeta felt the burn move through his muscles as he pulled the baidarka ashore. He took a step to move out of the water, when the ground gave beneath him. The water was shallow, but he was still startled by his suddenly uneven keel. The bidarka somehow moved ahead, closer to shore. Peeta lifted his head to find Finnick, golden and smiling, pulling the boat out of the water. Peeta found his legs, gathered his strength, and pushed the tail end of the boat. The boys worked together to secure the bidarka at the shoreline.

"Thanks," Peeta said with a sheepish smile. He recalled their last encounter, in which he tackled Finnick to the ground and drew blood from his neck.

"No problem," Finnick replied. He looked into Peeta's eyes, appreciating their deep blue shade. Peeta likewise noticed Finnick's green orbs and their gaze lingered for a long moment.

"So," Finnick said, breaking the silence. "Your mother..she's at the Everdeen barrabarra today."

Peeta's muscles tensed and his fingers began to curl at his sides. He caught himself before he made fists.

"Yeah. She, uh... She wants to arrange for Rye to marry her." Martha had been trying for years to marry off her two remaining available sons. There were many marriages involving brothers. She hoped that with Peeta engaged to the Everdeen girl, convincing them to take a second son would be easy. It wasn't.

Finnick nodded. He sat on the ground, leaned back with his hands flat, and brought his knees up. Peeta sat next to him and copied his position.

"Does she love him too?"

"No," Peeta replied more sternly than he intended. "No," he repeated more softly. "She doesnt. But...Sometimes I wish she did."

Finnick gave Peeta a questioning look.

"My mother is hard on us. It no secret. When I was 5, she broke 3 of my ribs. She only stopped because Katniss..."

"Katniss what? She protected you?"

Peeta nodded. "Yes. She protected me that day and every day since. My mother may hurl insults my way, but she hasn't laid a hand on me since Katniss agreed to marry me. Doesn't want to damage the goods I guess." He chuckled softly. "But my brothers are still available. And she's still pretty hard on them. I know that if they were engaged too, it would stop. Katniss and I have been in love so long. I know she would marry him if..."

"If you asked her to." Finnick finished.

Peeta nodded again.

"But you won't ask her to."

Peeta shook his head. "No. Rye's an asshole. It wouldn't be to my benefit to have him in the house. He's older than me." Peeta chuckled. The dynamic of marrying brothers nearly always favors the elder brother. He couldn't bear the thought of sharing Katniss with Rye. "Truth is, as much as I love my brother, I wouldn't ask her to marry someone she doesn't love. And who doesn't love her. Just for me. Besides, there are other people she does love."

"Other people?"

"You ...and Gale," Peeta explains.

"Gale," Finnick repeats.

"Yeah."

"Can we trust him?" Finnick asked. He half expected Peeta to attack him again. But, Peeta simply looked back out at the water and whispered, "I hope so."

Xoxoxoxoxox

"I don't wanna!" the little girl with the dark hair and the blue eyes pouted as she stomped her foot on the ground. Though only three years old, Poky is just as stubborn as her mother.

"But you love your quligaq Prim," Katniss replies. "Why don't you want to go see her."

"They don't like to play anymore. They're too busy with the baby."

6 months ago, Prim and Rory welcomed their first child. A girl named Hazelle, in honor of Rory's mother. Her fate, much like the fate of many from Unalaska remains a mystery.

Katniss kneels down next to Poky. She tries not to look directly into her eyes for too long - the same eyes that she fell in love with when she was 5 years old peering out at her from her child. It's hard to deny her anything.

"How about Kukax then?"

"No!"

"Annie?" she offers, reluctantly.

"I wanna stay with you."

"No, Poky. I have work to do this afternoon. You'll have to stay with someone for just a few hours." Katniss really needs to restock the infirmary. Her salves simply won't make themselves. And Poky has a way of being counterproductive.

Poky looks over at the stains on the wall - remnants of the dye she splattered yesterday, ruining Katniss's work.

"I'll be good. I promise!"

"You are good, sweetheart. I'm not punishing you. I want to play with you. I just need to get my work done first. Then we'll play all afternoon."

"With Adaq too?"

"With Adaq too," she promises.

It both warms and breaks her heart to hear Poky call Peeta Adaq. If she's honest with herself, she knows shes always wanted her first child to be Peeta's. But a small naive part of her didn't want to acknowledge how that would change things in her household. Finnick has fallen into an interesting role, one that Prim's father played for her. In Poky's eyes, Peeta hangs the moon, and Finn is a close second. But a definite second.

"Okay. I'll stay with Kukax. Annie makes me sad sometimes."

Katniss presses her forehead against Poky's. "Me too."

She stands up, and Poky grabs her hand. They walk across their land toward Mrs. Everdeen's barrabarra. They stop at the blueberry bushes that lie between their barrabarra and Annie's wooden home. Katniss frowns when she finds that there are few berries. They continue their walk to Mrs. Everdeen's.

The ground shakes slightly beneath them. Katniss kneels and places her palm to the earth, just outside of her mother's barrabarra. Poky copies her, watching her face pensively. The tremors are slight, and when they cease a minute later, Katniss sighs in relief.

"Adgilaq," she whispers.

"What's wrong, Anax?"

"Did you feel the ground shaking?" Katniss asks. Poky nods.

"Did you feel it yesterday too?"

Poky nods again. "And the day before that too!" Poky adds.

"Well, the ground shouldn't shake like this everyday," Katniss explains.

"So what's it mean?" Poky says. She'd begun to draw in the ground. Waves, like Finn used to do. Katniss smiles.

"I don't know, baby."

"Kukax!" Poky cries as Mrs. Everdeen emerges from her barrabarra. She opens her arms and allows Poky to run into her. "Kukax, I missed you!"

"I missed you too," Mrs. Everdeen replies, retuning Poky's enthusiastic hug.

"Anax says I have I stay with you today." She looks to her mother and then back to her grandmother. She whispers to her grandmother, loudly though, as small children do - Katniss can hear every word. "I think she's still mad at me."

Mrs. Everdeen matches her whispering style and replies "Oh, I'm sure she's not. I think she's just in a hurry to get her work done."

Katniss smiles."Kukax will bring you home soon. Okay, Poky?" Poky nods. She takes Mrs. Everdeen by the hand and walks with her into the barrabarra.

Katniss returns her attention to the ground. She makes a mental note to discuss her concerns regarding the tremors with the allituth elders soon.

When she returns home, she finds Peeta alone. He's sitting on their bed. His arms are wrapped around his legs, his left hand gripping his right wrist, his elbows flush against the outside of his knees. His gaze is downcast, to an arbitrary spot on the bed. Katniss begins to settle in.

"Where's Poky?" he inquires.

"She's with my mother. I needed to drop her off to get some stuff done. Where's Finn?"

"He and your dad are finishing up by the water. He'll be here soon."

She nods her acknowledgement, and walks over to the bed. She kneels at the foot on the bed in front of him, resting on her heels.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

"More Unangan arrived today."

Katniss extends her hand and places it over his. "And?"

Peeta shakes his head.

In the past three years, nearly all of the bidara Peeta built for the Unangans to escape Unalaska have arrived. There have been many survivors, but none of the bidara have brought Peeta's father or brothers. Not even news of them. After 3 years, the anxiety is starting to wear on Peeta. There are still people being held being held by the Snow matriarch. And periodically, people do escape, bringing awful tales of their enslavement. Life on Korovin is blessedly free of that sort of conflict. Here, Russians and Aleuts live peacefully together.

"We'll find out where they are," Katniss promises. She hopes they're still alive.

Katniss tugs on his wrist, and Peeta opens his arms. She inches forward on her knees and settles in between his now outstretched legs. She rests her hands on his shoulders as she leans forward and sweetly and swiftly presses her lips to his. "Don't be sad," she begs. She pulls away to meet his eyes. Peeta lifts his chin and kisses her. He sits up straighter and drops his hands to wrap around her thighs. He pulls her to straddle him as he deepens the kiss.

Katniss's drags her fingertips up from his shoulders and twists her fingers into his hair. His hands roam her body, squeezing her and pulling her closer. Their tongues dance in a short battle for dominance, which she quickly gives up. She knows he needs this. They make short work of the clothing covering their torsos. They tease and touch each other as they lose themselves in their kisses.

Peeta leans forward, propelling their bodies toward the end of the bed. When Katniss's back finds purchase, she bring her hands to her waistband and pushes her clothing down and away. Peeta follows suit, removing his pants as he hovers over her. He tosses his pants across the room.

"Hey, watch it!" Finn says, swatting at the airborne garment.

"Sorry," Peeta says. His voice is muffled. He has already buried his face in Katniss's neck and is nipping and sucking at her skin there.

"I didn't here you come in," Katniss says as her hands find Peeta's hair again. She drops her head back exposing her neck to him, moaning with each kiss he places on her skin.

"Clearly," Finn replies with a smirk. He watches them with wide eyes. How Katniss moves her hips into Peeta, gently grinding against him, causes a familiar stir in Finn's body. Finn can feel the blood rush down from his head. They've been here so many times before. Watching, interacting, kissing even, but there was always a line. A line Finn is dangerously close to crossing.

"Poky?" Finn inquires.

"Mmmm... At my mother's," Katniss answers.

Peeta kisses his way down her exposed body. When he reaches her stomach, he looks up to her to find her eyes are shut tight. His gaze wanders over toward Finn, who has just removed his shirt and tossed it to the ground. Peeta pauses as he meets Finn's eyes. He slowly kisses her abdomen again, holding Finn's gaze.

"Katniss," Peeta says in between kisses, "open your eyes."

Katniss obeys. She opens her eyes to find Finn removing his pants, while he and Peeta stare intensely at each other. She props herself up on her elbows when she feels Peeta shift his weight and settle between her legs, moving his light kisses to her thighs. They feel so good, but she doesn't moan. She's silent as she tries to process whats happening...or about to happen. Her eyes stay stuck on Finn, as he closes the distance between them. When he finally drops Peeta's gaze and his eyes slowly drift up the length of her exposed body, she tenses. Peeta feels her still beneath him and his kisses stop. Finn finally looks at her face, and she searches his eyes.

"I love you," Finn whispers.

With his words she relaxes. She looks down to Peeta, who is waiting for her signal - should he stop? Should he go? When the corners of her mouth turn up in a slight smile, Peeta kisses her again.

Finn lowers himself to the bed sitting beside Katniss and she turns to him just in time for him to capture her mouth in a kiss. As Finn's tongue slips inside of her mouth, she feels Peeta pry her knees open wide with his elbows. Her senses overload as he spreads her wet folds apart and drags his tongue up the length of her slit.

Her mouth goes slack, and she falters her kiss with Finn. He doesn't miss a beat though and he trails kisses down her neck, stopping when he reaches her breasts. He lightly sucks a peak into his mouth and and massages it with his tongue. His free hand reaches across her chest and rolls the other peak in between his thumb and index finger.

Peeta is hard at work. Katniss drops back down onto the bed when she feels him kiss her lower lips like he would her mouth. She feels herself getting wetter, and the sounds and sensations of Peeta licking up her desire are driving her mad.

She closes her eyes and tries to make sense of what's happening. How she can feel so unbelievably good. And why the hell they haven't done this sooner?

When Peeta slides a finger into her, she bucks her hips off the bed to meet him. She rolls her hips, encouraging him to continue, to do more, to do anything other than stop. She fists at the bed coverings beneath her and she moans.

"Oh... Oh! That's... Damn..." she says incoherently and to no one in particular.

It's only a minute or maybe an hour later- somewhere between Peeta sucking on her nub and Finn gently biting the flesh of her breast that her body spasms as her orgasm crashes over her in a violent wave of pleasure.

She doesn't want to open her eyes, doesn't want the feeling of bliss to end. "I love you," she whispers.

Peeta and Finn look to each other, but neither responds.

Peeta sits back on his haunches between her legs and grabs ahold of her hips. In one quick motion he sheathes himself inside of her, letting out a low growl and keeping his eyes closed tight. She gasps at the contact. Peeta begins to move his hips in a slow shallow rhythm, rocking gently. "Fuck...Fuck..." he whispers with every other thrust.

Katniss feels Finn grab her hand and move it to his hardened flesh. She opens her eyes and wraps her hand around him, smiling to herself as he thrusts into her hand. She's suddenly feeling bold. She props herself up on her elbows again, taking notice of how her shift in position has driven Peeta deeper into her body.

"Come here," she whispers to Finn.

He stands on the side of the bed next to her. And she takes him in her mouth.

Finn hisses as she wraps her mouth around the tip of him, her body jerking with each of Peeta's thrusts. She sucks in her cheeks and curls her tongue slightly, as she begins to move back and forth along Finn's shaft.

Peeta opens his eyes and the sight of her is too much for him to take. Her body, tight and toned again, her breasts shaking with his every thrust. Her mouth open, jaw moving as she pleasures her lovers. Peeta picks up speed, deepening his thrusts and grabbing her hips tighter as he nears his release. The quickened pace encourages Katniss to suck more greedily and Finn moans as her tongue coaxes him toward his climax.

When Peeta thrusts once more into her, he pulses deep inside pouring his seed into her. The feeling is so impossibly good, that her mouth hangs open again. Finn takes the opportunity to thrust himself deep into her mouth, releasing himself down the back of her throat. She eagerly swallows everything he has to give.

Peeta pulls out of her and stands to clean himself up. Finn places a kiss on her lips and follows. She can hear them talking, their voices muffled by her echoing ecstasy. A moment later Peeta returns with a damp cloth for her.

"Poky will be home soon," he says, as he cleans her skin.

She looks over to Finn, who is picking up their discarded clothing, cleaning up after their tryst.

'Do you do that often? Take them both on, I mean?' Gake's heartless words from years ago creep into her mind. "What was that?" Katniss says mostly to herself as she pulls a fresh tunic over her head.

Peeta wraps his arms around her waist and whispers into her ear, "Love."

A short time later, Katniss has prepared a fresh batch alutiqqutigaq, which is ready for the taking on the hearth. Peeta has stationed himself in a corner and is fashioning masks, and Finnick is sharpening his trident. Mrs. Everdeen arrives with Poky.

"Adaq!" Poky says as she propels herself into Peeta's arms. "Hi latugik," she greets Finn. "Kukax and I picked blueberries today."

"Really?" Peeta answers.

"Yes. But they're little."

Katniss turns her gaze to Mrs. Everdeen and frowns slightly, indicating her confusion about Poky's words. Mrs. Everdeen meets her eyes with a nod. Blueberries are not as plentiful on Korovin as they once were.

"That must mean they're Poky sized," Peeta continues.

"Do you have enough wild iris at the infirmary?" Finn inquires, breaking Katniss from her trance.

"Um, yeah. Let me double check," Katniss responds and she stands, walking over toward the woven baskets stacked in the corner. She pulls one down and notices something sticking out the bottom. A piece of parchment tattered and worn. The letter Gale sent her.

She stands with the basket in one hand and the letter in the other. She slides the end of the folded parchment, opening it so that she can reread it. It's only the thousandth time.

"Anax!" Poky says, surprising her. Katniss drops everything she's holding.

"You scared me, Poky."

"Sorry. I'll help you clean it up."

They begin to gather the flowers littered on the ground and place them back into the basket.

"Anax, what's this say?"

"Oh, it's just a letter. From someone I used to know." Katniss can feel Peeta tense from across the room,

"That sure is a short letter."

"Mmhmm."

"Only two lines."

Katniss looks toward the parchment in Poky's hand. She knows the letter is short, but it's definitely more than two lines long. She notices the parchment is upside down.

"Let me see that," she says as she extends her hand to Poky.

Poky hands it to her. She notices two lines of text written on the back of the letter, so faded she can only just make them out.

"Grand Hotel

St. Petersburg."

**Hello again,**  
**I'm still learning about polyandrous family structures myself. But, here are the Aleut family words I've used in Unangan so far:**

**Anax - mother**

**Adaq - Father**

**Quligaq - aunt**

**Kukax - grandmother**

**Latugik- Father's Brother**

**It's important to note that the difference between Peeta and Finnick to Poky is just that - to Poky. Peeta and Finnick are both still equally Katniss's husbands (thanks again to She's Classy for clarifying that bit - it confused me too). Finnick may have less responsibility as a parent since Poky is so obviously Peeta's, but that does not diminish his responsibilities as a husband or lover. So, no affairs with Annie are on the horizon at this point, certainly not after that whole mess with Gale. **

**Other Aleut words**

**Unangan- Aleut people. Think of it like "Navi" in Avatar.**

**Adgilaq- earthquake. The Aleutian islands lie along the pacific ring of fire. Volcanic activity and earthquakes are quite common. I read about one in 1946 that sent a tidal wave all the way to Hawaii! **

**Allithuth - community**


	2. Baidarka

**Hey all. Im going to try to update this story weekly. Gives me a chance to check my facts, and mangle the history of the Aleutian people just right :) So, this chapter is mostly fluff to give you all an idea of K/P/F's life on Korovin. Enjoy.**

Baidarka

It's a subtle change, really. A shift so slight, Katniss isn't sure whether she's imagining things. The way their fingertips touch, or their gaze lingers. Have their smiles grown shy? Do they lick their lips slower? Katniss stands, dusting her hands of the earth she just turned over. With wild carrot and parsnip safely in her pouch, she wonders quietly to herself.

"Are Peeta and Finnick falling in love?"

It would seem the Evedeens still have room to grow.

And so Katniss makes her rounds. She leaves the brush and wanders through the small village, trying to understand. She's built a life, shared a bed, and raised a family with these men. She loves them. And they love her. If nothing else, that much is certain. But, in what sense have they loved each other?

"Morning, Haymitch," she greets the elder as she passes the small wooden structure he sits outside of. It's been two years since Cinna turned over the vodka business to him. He's fallen into the role quite well.

"Sweetheart," he answers with a nod. "What can I get you today?"

"The usual," she shrugs. She absentmindedly moves her hand into the pouch at her side. She retrieves a small glass vial, which contains a hangover cure made with fireweed she concocted herself, and two small silver discs. The Russian influence on Korovin - much initiated by Cinna - has introduced the concept of monetary trade, and they've adopted the Imperial Ruble as their currency. But, most Unangan are still more comfortable with their traditional exchange of goods and services. And so, trade on Korovin is often a mishmash of old and new concepts, with most arrangements being subjectively beneficial. Case in point, Haymitch is compensated with hangover cures and cash. She extends her hand to Haymitch in offering.

"You know, girl," he says, extending his hand and catching the contents as she drops them into his palm, "Something's different about you Everdeens." He flings the coins into an open basket then opens the vial and tosses back the contents in one gulp. "I can't quite put my finger on it."

"You think too much old man," she says with a slight scowl.

"Maybe," he nods. And he pulls a package from beside his chair, that's wrapped in leaves and held together with a weak rope - he must have weaved it himself. He holds it out to her. When she attempts to take it from him, he holds it tight. She meets his eyes in confusion. "Or maybe you're starting to understand why those boys of yours are so damn special ," he says and he releases his grip.

"Drunken fool," she whispers, shoving the package into her pouch ignoring his laughter. She turns away from him and walks toward the water.

Haymitch is right, though. The honor Katniss's maternal bloodline passed to her was not without difficulty. How many men courted her mother, Haymitch included, yet ultimately ended up in monogamous relationships or with no one at all? Polyandrous marriages while prestigious were the exception. Katniss thinks back to the rifts in her own history. How she chose three men who she truly loved, and who truly loved her, but in the end, that alone wasn't enough. One of her lovers had strayed. And for the same selfish reason that she herself had chosen him. Because she wanted him. Because he wanted her.

Perhaps, she wonders to herself, that's why so many arrangements like hers involve siblings. Perhaps, she guesses, it's why Martha wanted her to marry Rye too. So that "co-husbands" would share a bond outside of her. Love each other outside of her. But, could such a deep bond form without blood? How would it be different?

Katniss approaches the water and immediately spots her husbands. They are on the shore, but far from the waterline. They stand next to each other with their backs to her in front of a large wooden boat-like structure - it almost looks like a baidarka - and Cinna stands on the other side with his face in her line of three men are deep in discussion. Cinna gestures to the middle of the makeshift baidarka and then waves a hand out to the water. He throws his hands up in the air and then all three men shake with laughter. Peeta brings a hand up and claps Finnick once on the shoulder. Katniss observes how at his touch, Finnick turns to look at Peeta. They hold each others gaze as Cinna is blissfully unaware staring out into the water.

She thinks back to last week. They first time she made love of both of them at once. Looking back, she sees this as the catalyst. The turning point. She wonders what their physical relationship will grow into. She smiles to herself at the thought.

She wraps her arms around Peeta's waist from behind and nuzzles her forehead in between his shoulder blades."Hey," she says.

"Katniss!" Peeta exclaims happy to see her. He turns around, lifts her up and spins her around once. He puts her down and she closes her eyes as he greets her further with an open mouthed kiss. Peeta shifts his weight to the side as he pulls away slightly and Katniss opens her eyes just in time to see Finnick leaning in the greet her similarly.

"What are you doing here?" Peeta asks. "Thought you were busy at the infirmary."

"I am. Poky's napping so I left her with my mom. I had to pick up some stuff from Haymitch," Katniss replies.

"Oh?" says Cinna, having been intrigued by the mention of Haymitch's name. "How's the alcohol he's producing?"

"He does a good job. It's strong and clear. We've taken to keeping it in stock, as per your suggestion, right next to the geranium" Katniss says with a smile.

Among his many contributions to the allithuth on over the past three years, Cinna has brought the concept of constant sterilization to the infirmary. They use alcohol produced by Haymitch to clean wounds and to clean up their instruments before and after each use. She can't be certain if its due to the use of alcohol or simply having paid more attention to the sterilization process in general, but she has definitely treated fewer relapses.

And here Cinna is with yet another idea to effectively merge Russian and Aleutian cultures.

"What's this?" Katniss asks kneeling down next to the wooden structure.

"Oh, it's a baidarka. Only Cinna's added a third seat in the middle. Peeta explains.

"Yeah," Finnick adds. "I know we're used to baidarka built for two, but it seems the idea of a third has merit. If you can get three people who work well enough together."

"Right. Two is great. But three is even better," Peeta beams.

"Indeed." Katniss blushes as she clenches her thighs together. Peeta doesn't notice. But, Finnick does and smiles knowingly in her direction. Katniss pulls it together though and keeps up with the conversation.

"Cinna, will your innovations never cease?" Katniss teases.

"No, ma'am. In fact, I was just asking your men here to help me with construction on the new school I'm building for the children."

"A school?" Katniss asks

"Portia and I have been working on the curriculum. She's even been talking to your elders and transcribing some of your stories. We'll preserve them in writing and teach the children how to read them. They'll learn Aleutian and Russian histories."

"Well,that sounds fantastic. I'm sure Poky will love it when she's old enough to attend," Katniss says with a smile. "My stuff come in yet?"

"Arrived on the ship last night. Let me grab it for you," Cinna says taking a few steps away and Katniss follows him. He bends down and he digs through a large wooden crate. Katniss kneels next to him.

"Cinna," she whispers.

"Hmm?" he answers, still pushing items around in the crate.

"What's St. Petersburg?" she questions.

"What do you mean? In Russia? It's a city."

"Okay," she turns over her shoulder and sees Peeta and Finnick gushing over the baidarka. She turns back to Cinna.

"What's the Grand Hotel?" she whispers.

Cinna's movements stop. He looks her in the eye. "What do you know about the Grand Hotel?" he whispers.

She furrows her brow. "What do YOU know about the Grand Hotel?" she counters.

He turns back to the crate, seemingly having located what he was looking for. He pulls a wooden box up and out of the crate with both hands. He sighs as he looks down at the crate. "I know I'm not the person you should be asking about this."

"Then who-"

"Here," he interrupts and he places the box into her arms. "From Russia, with love," he laughs.

She smiles, understanding that their conversation is over. She stands and walks back over to her husbands. "I've got to get going. Walk with me?"

"Actually I've got to finish this baidarka for Cinna." Peeta says. "I'm nearly done."

"Okay," she smiles. She extends her hand, tugs gently on the bill of Finnick's hat, and raises her eyebrows to him.

"You just want me to carry your things," Finnick smirks.

"Guilty," she smiles and she hands him the box. It's heavier than he expected.

"Peeta, can you get Poky from my mother's?" Katniss asks.

"Of course!" he says as he retrieves his awl from his belt and sits down to work on the new baidarka.

"Thanks. I only have one person to see this afternoon. And it's a pick-up, so it won't take long at all. Finn can help me unload these supplies, then we'll all meet up at home, okay?"

Peeta nods, and smiles at her. Then his gaze drifts to Finn before his eyes dart back down to his work. Though he's eager to start and finish his work so that he can go get his daughter, Katniss suspects something else just happened. She nods once to Cinna as she and Finn walk away.

"What was that?" Katniss asks.

Finn blushes but plays dumb. "What was what?"

"That. Between you and Peeta."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do," Katniss smiles. "Let me ask you a question."

"...okay?" Finnick braces himself.

"Do you love Peeta?"

"Of course I do," Finn says turning to her. "You know I do."

Katniss puts her hand on Finn's arm, stopping his stride. "Like you love Annie?"

"No."

"Like you love me?"

Finn inhales through his nose before responding. "I don't under-"

"You watch us."

"Yeah. So?" Finn gives her a questioning look.

"I see you, Finn. When he kisses me. When he makes love to me. When he fucks me. You watch _us_. Not just me." Finn purses his lips as he considers her words. Katniss continues, "And It's never been like that before. The three of us. Together like that."

Finn thinks back on last week. And though that tension may have been rising for some time, it was he who was bold enough to take the final step. He tries to explain, "I just wanted to be close."

"To us," Katniss adds.

Finn is quiet for a long moment. "What did Peeta say when you asked him about this?"

"I'm not asking Peeta. I'm asking you." She searches his eyes. When he doesn't immediately respond, she drops his gaze and resumes their walk.

When they reach the infirmary, their mood has lightened up a bit. They lauguh together as they share a bit of town gossip. Katniss sits down in the front at a stool-type chair behind large their wooden countertop. There are shelves lined with salves, ointment, and elixirs on the walls behind her. This area of the infirmary is unofficially the apothecary. She flops her pouch down onto the countertop and removes the package from Haymitch.

"Where do you want this?" Finnck asks of the box in his hands. He's walking toward the back area, the care center, which has two rows of cots.

"Up here," Katniss says stopping him. "That's edible. I don't want it back there."

Finnick walks over to the counter and bends down next to her as he puts down the box. He slides it underneath the counter. Katniss spins in her seat, motioning to shelve the bottles of alcohol behind her when she bumps Finn with her knees.

"Oops. Sorry," she smiles down at him.

He looks up to her and offers a mischievous smile. "Are you?" She raises an eyebrow. He puts his knees down and spins so that he's kneeling in front of her. "That was rude of you Katniss. Don't you think you should make it up to me?" he asks. His hands rub the outside of her thighs.

"Finn, I have work to do."

"Don't let me stop you," he says as he pulls at her waistband. She puts the bottles down on the counter.

"I have someone coming in for a pick up any minute now."

"Okay," he says tugging at her pants. "Do your work, Mrs. Everdeen." She lifts her hips and he slides her garment down. "I'm not even here."

He lifts her left left leg, placing her knee on his shoulder. Katniss pulls a book, quill, and ink from the other side of the counter, a feeble attempt at doing inventory. She holds the quill in her right hand but before she can dip it into the ink Finn distracts her by spreading her open and flicking his tongue quickly and softly along her folds. She bends her arm at the elbow and drops her head, resting her forehead on the heel of her hand.

"Mmmm," she moans.

"Shhh, Katniss. This is a place of work," he says. The vibrations of his voice doing nothing to help her keep her composure.

The front door of the infirmary opens. Katniss lifts her head to meet her client's eyes.

"Hey Jo," she smiles. Her entire body is tense as Finn continues his assault.

"Everdeen," she nods. She squints at Katniss, noticing her hand gripping the quill extra tight. "I'm here to pick up."

Katniss lifts her arm and gestures to the wall. "It's...it's there," she points.

"Are you gonna get it for me?"

"Yes." She moves to stand. Finnick slides a finger into her. "No." She sits back down. "I, um. I need to sit. I twisted my ankle." Katniss offers a less than convincing smile.

"Okay..." Jo says taking a step over to the shelf on the wall. She retrieves 4 small glass vials filled with a pink elixir. Katniss takes an audibly deep breath as Finn slides a second finger into her. Though Johanna has her back to her, the sound has told her everything. "You know, Everdeen. I'm not so sure this Angelica root is working the way it's supposed to." Johanna slides her thumb along the small scar on her left shoulder, a constant reminder to her of the strengths and depths to which love can grow.

"No?" Katniss asks closing her eyes and pressing her index finger into her temple.

"No." Johanna says with a smirk. She takes a few steps toward the counter, and bends at the waist, resting her elbows down on it. Her eyes drift to the quill in Katniss's hand, which doesnt have a drop of ink on it. Katniss's eyes quickly dart down and back up as Finn continues to steadily pump his fingers into her.

"We're just girls here, right?" Jo asks a little too innocently.

Katniss exhales through her nose. "Right."

"I think you understand what I'm after. Chaff is older and he needs a little push keeping up with my...appetite. But, you don't seem to have that problem," she cocks her head to the side. "Do you?"

Katniss slowly shakes her head.

Johanna brings her index finger to her mouth in a Shh gesture. "What are you feeding those boys?" she whispers. Her gaze drops down to the counter, where she knows one of Katniss's husbands is concealed. She's not sure which.

Katniss stares at Jo as her abdomen begins to tense. He breaths are getting shallower. Finn dips his fingers deeper into her and curls them, stroking her just right. Katniss takes in a deep breath and finds her voice.

"Come back tomorrow."

Johanna pushes herself off the counter, replacing her elbows with a handful of coins. "Of course." She backs away and walks toward the door. "Take your time," she sings as she closes the door behind her.

"Fuck! Finn..." Katniss scolds, but he ignores her. He doubles his efforts, swirling his tongue against her, flicking against her nub. Katniss drops her head back and covers her eyes with her hands as she feels her climax near. She's close, so close.

Then she hears the front door open again.

"We're closed!" She shouts, keeping her eyes covered with her hands.

"I suppose I'll just go home then?"

She lifts her head and opens her eyes to finds Peeta smiling at her. "What are you doing here? Where's Poky?"

"I haven't picked her up yet. Where's Finn?"

"I'm here."

With that, Peeta locks the door behind him.

"Making my life hard," Katniss mutters.

"Katniss, it's you who have made things hard for me," Finn smirks.

Katniss opens her mouth to respond, but takes note of the slight tremor rattling through the infirmary. "Do you feel that? The earth is moving..."

"Alright, Finn!"

Katniss rolls her eyes. "No, you idiots. Shhh. Be still...you feel that? Adligaq."

"Yeah...so?" Peeta says leaning over the counter.

"So I think we should go-"

"You're not going anywhere," says Finn. He climbs out from under the counter and leans over her for a kiss. Katniss can taste herself on his lips. It drives her crazy and she extends her tongue out to lick him even as he pulls away. He brings his fingers up in between them, slick with her desire. Katniss watches his mouth intently as he brings his middle finger past his lips and sucks it clean. Her gaze drifts to his eyes.

"mmmm," Finn purrs.

The hand on Finn's wrist surprises them both. Katniss and Finn watch as Peeta turns Finn's wrist slightly, seeing his index finger glisten with Katniss's moisture. Peeta swiftly brings Finn's hand closer and wraps his mouth around the extended digit, tasting Katniss on it.

"Yes," Peeta smiles. "She's delicious."

Katniss closes her eyes and squeezes her thighs together at that. What Peeta just did has got the be the single sexiest thing she's ever seen. She feels lips press against hers and she moves her mouth against them. When she feels a nose nudge against hers, she turns toward it, capturing the mouth below. She kisses them, one after the other, turning her head back and forth between her lovers. She slides her hands up their necks and brings them to rest on their jaws trapping them in place. And then they're kissing. The three of them all moving against each other at once. Their tongues massage each other, working together. The wet sounds of swirling and twisting work up a frenzy and their kiss grows desperate and needy. They press harder into each other and revel in the vibrations of each other moans.

The trembling of the ground intensifies. The infirmary walls shake, the salves shift on the shelves, and the baskets stacked in the corner topple over. It's when the glass bottle of alcohol fall from the counter shattering on the floor that they are brought back to themselves.

Katniss stands, losing her balance as she reaches down for her pants. Finnick steadies her as she pulls her legs through the garment while Peeta catches large breakable items as they fall from the shelves and quickly tosses them onto the soft seal pelts draped over the cots.

"Adgilaq!" she yells, but her voice is barely audible over the shaking sounds of the earth quaking beneath them. The shaking grows more violent, and they seek refuge in the only place that seems to be free of falling objects, the doorway between the apothecary and the care center.

A minute later, they're met with calm and silence.

Katniss is the first on her feet and she makes her way toward the door. "Poky!" she yells as she runs outside. She runs across the land, past the blueberry bushes, squishing the fallen blueberries beneath her feet. She reaches Mrs. Everdeen's barrabarra and she throws herself through the entrance, screaming Poky's name.

When she reaches the large room, she sees evidence of the adgilaq's damage and hears her mother soothing Poky from the back room.

"Poky!" she cries one last time.

"Adaq!" Poky finally calls back and she runs into Katniss's arms. Peeta is right behind her and he wraps his arms around them both. Mrs. Everdeen emerges from the back room.

"Where were you Adaq? I was scared. And so was Kukax."

"I'm so sorry, baby. We should've been here," Katniss replies. "Where's Finn?" she whispers to Peeta.

"He stayed at the infirmary. In case anyone got hurt. I told him we'd check on Annie."

"I'll go to the infirmary," Mrs. Everdeen says moving towards the exit.

"Peeta, you get Annie and bring her there. I'll check on Prim."

X

As the Everdeens work to take care of the injuries caused by the adgilaq, mostly scrapes, contusions, and broken bones from falls, a familiar and unwelcome tension fills the air. They're reminded of the last time their infirmary was full. The men arrived with strange wounds and looming doom. The exhaustion and uncertainty made the art of healing an enormous challenge. Katniss tries to clear her mind as she works this evening. She tries not to think about this afternoon. No, kissing her husbands isn't on her mind at all. She shakes her head, banishing her selfish thoughts.

Peeta and Finn left some time ago with Poky once they established a flow at the infirmary. Though Mrs. Everdeen would have preferred to be the one to take Poky home, she knew she was needed at the infirmary, especially since Prim retired with Hazelle not long before.

"Annie, you should rest. My mother will need your help overnight," Katniss says.

"I'll be fine. You should really get home to Finn," she smiles warmly. Katniss returns the smile. Annie's tunnel vision for Finn amazes her sometimes.

"I'm leaving. I'm just going to redress Haymitch's wound, then I'm headed home."

She walks to a cot in the back of the care center and sits down next to Haymitch. She removes the yarrow on his shoulder, checking to make sure the bleeding has successfully stopped. Satisfied that the wound won't gush anymore, she rinses the him with her geranium solution.

"My alcohol not good enough for that?"

Katniss responds with heavy lidded eyes "Its fine. I just know you're used to the old ways."

"The new ways are effective too."

Katniss nods. She tries to consider what such a statement means coming from an elder. The allithuth of Korovin is unique, a strange mix of Aleutian and Russian cultures too far removed from both to be considered the norm in either.

"That should hold you, Haymitch," Katniss says using with a yawn as she ties off his arm with a length of rope. Korovin thankfully has no shortage of kelp in its surrounding waters, and they are able to meet their need for rope by weaving it themselves. The rope she and her sister make is of much better quality than what Haymitch makes to bind his packages together.

"You know, if you need rope, we can work that into our trades."

"Thanks, sweetheart." She nods in response. "I'll think about it. But that tonic you make might be all I need."

"And money too," she corrects.

Haymitch thinks back to the large basket overflowing with coins he has no intended use for. "I'm just going through the motions with that." Katniss smiles. He's old school after all.

Katniss turns her body away from Haymitch and looks around the infirmary. The beds are full, but the hard work is nearing its end for the evening. The hand on her shoulder doesn't startle her, but she still doesn't like it.

"Cinna came to talk to me today," Haymitch mutters, noticing how her eyes are glued to his hand, then removing it. "He said you had some questions...about Gale"

Katniss's eyebrows knit together in confusion. She doesn't remember asking Cinna anything about Gale. Why would she do that?

"It's been a long ass night, Haymitch."

Haymitch chuckles, "You Everdeens are all alike."

"What are you going on about old man?"

Haymitch smiles. He can tell she's beat, and he has half a mind to let this go. But he doesn't know how much longer He can put it off, and so he decides to take advantage of her guard downed by exhaustion.

"Hell of an Adgilaq today," he hedges.

"Mmhmm."

"Wonder how long this island can keep us."

"I don't know what you're getting at. Look, I'm tired, and I'm going to just head home. I'll be back in the morning," she stands and stretches.

"You want to tell me why you asked Cinna about Gale first?"

"I never asked Cinna about Gale," she shakes her head.

"Okay. Well what did you ask him about?" Haymitch says settling in to the cot. He could go home, his wound isn't that bad at all.

She looks across the room and sees Annie, the only other person awake and in earshot, fashioning a poultice for the young man laying down beside her. As usual, she's absorbed in her task, blocking out all other stimuli.

"I asked him about a hotel. In Russia." Katniss's overworked brain is starting to put the pieces together. Her sleepy eyes fly open. "What does Gale have to do with that?"

"Sweetheart, I think it's time you and I have a chat."

**Have I gone too far yet? I figure having Peeta lick Katniss's wetness from Finn's finger has got to cross some sort of line...or maybe y'all find it as sexy as I do. I won't know if you don't review :)**

**My goal here is to have Peeta & Finn deepen their relationship, strengthening their marriage. I told y'all, no more infidelity here. Didn't you get your fill with Gale's shenanigans?**

**I'm loving the threesomes. I like the idea of Peeta and Finn making love through Katniss. I do want to say however that m/m lemons are simply not my thing. If its your thing, please undeerstand that you will not find any here.**

**And in case you're interested in the Aleutian medicine I researched for this chapter:**

**Yarrow - we talked about in Unalaska, used to stop bleeding - especially good for nosebleeds**

**Anemome - also used to stop bleeding.**

**Geranium - used to wash wounds**

**Angelica Root - Used to treat venereal wounds, also increases blood flow to the genital area. The only indigenous aphrodisiac I could find. If any botanists out there want to hook me up with new info, please tell me what the Aleutian equivalent of Spanish fly is. I could write one hell of a chapter!**

**Wild iris - laxative**

**Fireweed-Tea alternative, loaded with vitamins. Used by Inuits to treat boils and other wounds too. Used fermented by Russians.**

**The university of Alaska at Anchorage produced an amazing Aleut ethnobotanical index, which is where I pulled most of the flora in this story from. I did get a little creative with the uses - fireweed isn't traditionally used to treat hangovers but I'm a food scientist and after looking up fireweed's nutritional make up (high in vitamin B6) I figure it would be of good use in that way. So I wrote it in :)**

**Thanks again to She's Classy for helping me out with currency and family facts.**


	3. Monkshood

**A little of the Katniss/Annie backstory you all requested. Followed by a bit of a history lesson, But I have to stop before I get too ahead of myself, so it's a shorter chapter. I need to add more to Makushin now, so look out for that update soon. If you haven't already, I suggest you read it ;) Enjoy!**

Monkshood

"I've made up my mind, mom. I don't want to marry Rye. So, tell that witch to stop coming around here."

"Why not? He could be good for you."

"Peeta's good for me."

"Peeta's a nice boy, but he's unaccomplished."

"Finnick's accomplished."

Mrs. Everdeen set down the basket she'd been weaving and turned to give the conversation her full attention. "There are advantages to keeping a certain number of families involved."

"Finnick's parents died when he was young-"

"Exactly. He brings no honor but his own. Peeta brings his family's honor. Between the two, you only have one decent man. I encourage you to consider what you're doing, Katniss."

Katniss crossed her arms and looked away from her mother.

"Just, think about it, okay?" her mother said softly.

Katniss's turned on her heels and walked toward the forest. She stopped in a clearing where she laid on the grass and stared up at the sky. She was lost in thought, tackling the challenge of how to marry for love when there's no clear way to do so. Her suitors seemed to fall short in one aspect or another.

She was confident, though, that Peeta can earn his own honor. That he was strong enough to do it. That Finnick could help him. She knew that Finnick would provide her for despite his own familial history. She wanted to believe it. So she did.

And somewhere in the back of her mind was the promise she once made to Gale.

She rolled onto her side, briefly catching sight of a purple flower. She'd never seen it before, despite her years of training with her mother. She approached the brush, from where the flower grew. It was beautiful. A deep indigo delicate looking thing, it's stem extending straight up toward the sun. She extended her index finger out to touch it.

"Monkshood," a female voice called to her. She jerked her finger back at the sudden sound. "Don't touch it."

Katniss turned and was met with a pair of brilliant but sad green eyes.

"Annie, right?" the girl nodded in response.

"How do you know what this is?" Katniss asked, still admiring the flower.

"Because I planted them. I take care of them. But you mustn't touch them."

Katniss looked around to find hundred of the same flower in the small patch in the clearing. She knew she was far off the beaten path here, but suddenly felt like she's stumbled into Annie's house.

"You're the one, right? The girl who's going to marry my Finn?"

Katniss nodded, ignoring the possession in the comment. "I want to."

"I think you should. He's so wonderful."

"Yes, he is. How do you know him?"

"Well, I love him." Katniss furrowed her brow at Annie. "Not like you do," Annie continues. "But there is someone I love like that. Someday I'll tell Finn." Katniss followed Annie's gaze to the tree line, where she just barely caught the movement of a body. She didn't make out much. Or anything other than a human presence.

"One day, this flower will be very important," Annie said abruptly changing topics and calling Katniss's attention back to her. "I can teach you to grow it, if you like."

"Why is this flower important?" Katniss asked.

"It produces the strongest poison known." Katniss pulls her hands closer to her body and takes a step back. "Why do you have so many?"

"One can never be too prepared," Annie smiles. There an edge of mischief in her voice. "I think you and I can make this flower better. Stronger. Will you keep my secret?"

Katniss matches her mischievous smile. "Yes."

Xoxoxoxoxox

"Sweetheart, the situation on Unalaska is far worse than you could have imagined. It's become an Russian Artel."

"I don't understand. A Russian what?"

Haymitch inhales sharply as he begins his explanation."There are no more elders in power. They're either dead or escaped, like me. Hell, Anna Snow doesn't even have power anymore. Coin paid her off. Snow's one of three 'chiefs' now, though the position seems to be more that of a figurehead than anything else." Haymitch shifts on the bed allowing himself a better look at Katniss. "The people held there are forced to hunt. Thats what they want. Seals, and such. Our resources. And they want us to procure them for them."

"That's awful," Katniss says, her sleepy eyes now open.

"So you see, we had to send Gale to Russia."

"Gale was reaped."

"Real."

"But YOU sent him somewhere else?"

"Also real," he says with a nod.

Katniss recalls Gale's letter. 'Know that I am fighting too,' he'd written. She didn't understand what he meant back then.

"...to fight?"

"Yes."

"But he didn't make it. Cinna said he was on the Sv. Iermiia. It was destroyed at Unalaska."

"That story may have been exaggerated some. Gale was sent on a mission"

"Gale isn't in Russia?"

"No," Haymitch confirms.

"Where is he? You kept this from me? How long have you known this?"

Haymitch looks away.

"Answer me, you miserable drunk. Did you know at Poky's naming ceremony? Did you know when you helped is bury a bear in his honor?" Her words increase in volume and disdain with every syllable.

"Yes."

"Get out."

"Woah, sweetheart. I'm an injured man."

"It's barely a scratch," she spits.

"And you're a healer. And like I told that boy of yours, this is bigger than you Everdeens."

"I've heard enough," standing up from the bed.

"No, sweetheart. You haven't. Sit down and shut up. Mind your manners when an elder is talking to you." Katniss obeys, mostly stunned by the authority in his voice. "Snow isn't pleased with the way things turned out for her. Our way, each village ruled by one chief advised by elders is looking real good now. Seems Coin is going around to other islands, snatching up their Unangan to add to the artel on Unalaska. So you see, Gale's mission was of great importance."

"What mission?" Katniss asks with a sneer.

"To find us someplace safe."

"Korovin is safe."

"Korovin is crumbling. Every refugee in paddling distance has come here. We took the long road here for your pregnant benefit, but remember we're only four days journey away from the Artel on Unalaska. And from Snow. And our resources are spent. Whens the last time you had a decent batch of blueberries? We're vulnerable here, especially after that Adgilaq this afternoon. Half our structures broken, our supplies gone. Think, girl! What's coming next?"

Katniss's eyes dart back and forth as she considers the longterm effects of the Adgilaq. "They'll come here now, won't they?"

"Yes."

X

When Katniss finally made it to her bed last night, everyone was already asleep. Poky laid between Finn and Peeta on their bed. So, Katniss efortlessly slipped in next to Peeta and rested her arm on his waist. No one stirred. Rolling away from them this morning was just as easy.

"Gale isn't in Russia. Is he still alive?" Katniss whispers to herself. The taunting words of Haymitch's admission play over and over in Katniss's mind.

She dresses silently. She tries to quiet her mind, but nothing at home is distracting enough. She decides to head back to the infirmary. She's only a few paces away from the door when she hears Peeta call to her.

"Where are you going, Kat? You should be resting." He's cleary half asleep.

"I couldn't sleep. I'm going back to the infirmary."

"Is something wrong?"

Yes. A whole lot is wrong. Katniss is about to bust at the seams with information and worry. "No, nothing's wrong," she stupidly replies. She decides she needs to sort this out in her head before hearing what Peeta or Finnick have to say.

"Take Poky over to Prim's today, okay? My mother will need to rest after last night."

"Of course," Peeta says as she blows him a kiss goodbye.

Katniss arrives at the infirmary. She looks back toward the care center, where several beds are still occupied. She breathes a sigh of relief whe she finds Haymitch's bed empty. She walks toward the apothecary, stepping in and around broken glass vials where her elixirs were once contained. It's time to lose herself in her work. She welcomes the distraction today.

Katniss retrieves the box from under the counter, and takes out several cloves of dried garlic. She's pretty sure that the stuff is an aphrodisiac, though she's only been using it a short while. She channels her confusion and anger into her work, as she crushes the bulbs into a powder and stores it in a small pouch. Johanna will surely be by to pick that up today, despite everything.

She reaches for the ink-streaked inventory book from the floor and sits in her usual seat behind the counter. A lot of her supplies were damaged during yesterday's adgilaq, so for her next task she plans to assess the situation.

"mmmm," a voice moans from the care center.

"Shit," Katniss mutters to herself. Someone must be awake and/or uncomfortable. And glancing at her shelves, she doesn't have much in the way of pain killers. She sets the book down on the counter as she stands and walks toward the care center.

"mmmm," the voice moans again.

Katniss looks around to find the source of the noise. She sees movement on one of the beds towards the back. She takes two steps forward and stops when she sees two sets of feet sticking out from under the bed covers.

"Dammit, Annie!"

The covers fling off the bed revealing a very flustered Annie and her companion.

"Katniss!"

"Nice to see you again, Enobaria. Annie, what the hell? We have patients in here."

"We don't mind," calls a young man from one of the beds.

Annie rolls her eyes. Katniss widens her eyes at Annie.

Enobaria makes her way out of the infirmary, redressing on her way to the door. She finally pulls her boots on and calls to Katniss as she opens the door, "Sorry, Katniss. See you soon?"

"See you soon," Katniss confirms over her shoulder, keeping her eyes trained on Annie.

Annie is dressed and sits back down on the bed. As soon as the infirmary door closes Katniss continues, "Again?," she says leaning against the wall, and brings her index finger and thumb to the bridge of her nose.

"Don't tell Finn," Annie whispers.

"You didn't tell Finn about her yet?"

"I will," Annie replies.

She shakes her head quickly at Annie. "I need to get the fuck out of here," Katniss says as she grabs her gloves and a basket and walks out of the infirmary.

"Where are you going?" she hears Annie call after her.

"To collect something important. It's time."

She wanders through the trees, disappearing into her beloved woods.

She hikes through the hills of Korovin until she reaches a low brush where she and Annie have grown hundreds of their own strain of hybrid monkshood flowers. She works quickly and furiously, collecting the poisonous purple flowers and collecting them into her basket. She's carful to avoid touching the flowers with her skin, but cannot escape the mud and branches, leaving her filthy and scratched.

When she returns to the infirmary, She hands the basket to Annie, who simply smiles and nods.

X

"How much longer are we going to stay out here?" Peeta's eyes grow heavy as his exhaustion catches up with him. "We've been out here all day. We've only caught two seals."

Finn looks down at the two carcasses laid out in the middle seat of the baidarka between them. It's quite the disappointing haul. Back on Unalaska, he'd get twice as many in half the time. He sighs loudly. "I'd tell you to stop complaining. But I'm beat too. Let's go in," Finn replies.

They hold tightly to the grip and throat of their respective paddles, and propel themselves back toward shore.

"When did Kat get in last night?"

"I don't know. Late." Peeta remembers falling asleep in their bed, with Poky in between himself and Finn. At some point in the night, Katniss crawled into their bed beside him and wrapped her arms around him. He loves when she's the big spoon. "I was mostly asleep when she left, but she said something about going back to the infirmary," Peeta answers.

"Did she say anything else?"Finn asks, testing the waters.

"Mmm. Nope. Not that I remember."

"So she didn't speak to you then?"

"About what?"

"Um, well about... Us."

Peeta pushes down on the boat on either side of his body, lifting himself out of the baidarka. He lands in the water, only a couple of feet deep.

"No."

Peeta begins to pull the boat with his hands. A few feet closer to shore, Finn follows suit jumping out and pushing the baidarka.

"What about us?" Peeta asks when Finn offers no more information.

"Well, she wanted to know if anything's different between us that would've led to... last week."

"What did you tell her?" Peeta asks tugging on a length of rope and tying the baidarka.

"I didn't really have an answer for her. I, um... asked what you said."

"Well she didn't bring it up to me," Peeta says with a smile. He throws his arm over Finn's shoulder as they walk away from the water. Finn reciprocates. They sit on the whale bone chairs Finn has set up not far from the tide and begin to clean the seals, separating the usable meat from the endtrails, the skin from the pelts.

"I love you, Peeta."

"I love you too, Finn."

"How?"

Peeta furrows his brow in confusion. "What do you mean 'How?'"

"Do you love me like you love Rye?"

"Well, no, I suppose not..."

"Like you love Katniss?"

Peeta smiles nervously. Seems Katniss knew what she was doing when she asked Finn and not Peeta. "Uh... Yeah. I guess. I mean, not exactly the same. But that's the closest way I think. Why?"

"Because I love you that way too. That's why when I saw you with Katniss last week, I had to be a part of it. I didn't want to just watch any more."

There's a long pause, during which they hold each others gaze. Peeta finally nods in understanding. They return to the work in silence.

They've just finished cleaning the seals when they hear a rustling from behind them. Peeta turns to see Katniss walking toward them. Her hands are covered in dirt and as she gets closer, he can see small scratches that reach up to her elbows.

"Katniss? Are you okay?"

But she doesn't respond. She walks between them, passing them and towards the water. Peeta and Finnick give each other concerned glances before following her. She stops when she's ankle-deep in the water, staring out on the horizon.

"What's wrong, Kat?" Finn asks.

Katniss raises her hand and points out on the horizon. "They're coming," she whispers.

Appearing on the horizon is a single large Russian ship.

**There! Annie's a lesbian! And she gets some. And she and Katniss are up to something. Now leave me alone ;) just playing thanks to OMGitsgreen for making sure Annie gets some love too.**

**Whose got ideas/suggestion/requests/etc.? Reviews are love :)**


	4. Ready

**No new Vocab or history lesson this week :) lets just get into the story!**

**Thank you to the amazing lauralulubee for beta-ing part of this chapter! Hope y'all enjoy ;)**

Ready

Katniss reaches the infirmary after an exhausting conversation with Peeta and Finn. She relayed the information Haymitch shared with her, as well as her own conclusions about what will happen when the Russian ship arrives. However, she neglects to mention what she herself plans to do about it all. She hears the faint hum of Annie's voice. She wanders around towards the back of the building to find Annie sitting at a makeshift workstation, while weaving together long strands of wild barley.

"What are you doing?" Katniss inquires as she looks around. She sees thin, long hollow tubes fashioned from yellow cedar next to a bowl filled with a thick purple goo. Annie continues to hum, seemingly not aware of Katniss's arrival.

Animals are drawn to Annie much as they are to Snow White. Often times, a hare or squirrel can be spotted lazing around her much closer than they would other humans. Katniss takes note of her audience as Annie continues to hum.

"Annie?" Katniss says.

But she gets no response. She kneels down next to her, willing her out of her trance.

"Annie?" Katniss tries again rubbing her hand over her knee. Katniss drops her gaze toward Annie's fingers, which nimbly weave a red flower to a thin sprig of yellow cedar."Come back to me, Annie." Tears well up in Katniss's eyes as she realizes Annie has drifted. Katniss needs her lucid today. She doesn't know what to do without her. Katniss takes her bottom lip into her mouth and sucks on it as she thinks.

Katniss closes her eyes and feels a tear run down her cheek.

Annie continues to hum as she extends her hand to reach out toward Katniss. She threads her hand through Kantiss's hair once, twice, three times before using her index and middle fingers to select a loc of thick brown waves and pulling it taut. She uses the yellow cedar sprig to secure the red flower to Kantiss's head and smiles sadly as she withdraws her hand, her fingertips lingering on the markings of Katniss's face.

"Annie, please talk to me," Katniss pleads.

She looks around again. There are several green bangles of woven kelp, a few dozen yellow cedar springs, and ivory awls stained purple. Katniss spies several woven baskets filled with other creations Annie has been fashioning.

Annie's hum abruptly stops as Katniss brings her gaze to meet Annie's eyes. Annie leans forward, cups Katniss's jaw in her hand, and presses their lips together. Katniss's eyes widen as Annie moves her mouth against hers. The kiss is sweet, calm, and not demanding. When Annie's tongue slips out of her mouth and traces Katniss's bottom lip. Katniss sighs against her. She can't believe the warmth that spreads through her as Annie takes the time to deepen the kiss. Katniss closes her eyes and opens her mouth, letting Annie's tongue massage hers. A moan slips out surprisingly and Katniss can't help but allow her tongue to meet Annies in return. She hardly notices when Annie's hand moves from her face to the back of her head, and up again toward the flower.

The flower.

Katniss opens her eyes and instinctively brings her left hand up, clasping Annie's right hand. She pulls away from the kiss and stares at the sprig nestled between Annie's fingers. Turning Annie's wrist, Katniss can see the purple goo barely seeping out of the hollowed wood. And that's when she realizes that hidden within the flower, the decorative hair piece, is their weapon: the poison she and Annie has cultivated for years by breeding strains of monkshood.

But how strong is it?

Katniss turns her gaze back to Annie, and silently asks a question with her eyes. Upon seeing Annie's mischievous grin, Katniss releases her wrist. In one quick motion, Annie throws the dart to her right, where it finds purchase in the body of one of the hares. By the time Katniss whips her head to see where the dart has landed, the animal is dead on the floor. Katniss smiles as she realizes that all of the seemingly everyday items laid before Annie are lethal.

"It's ready," Annie whispers. And she resumes humming her song.

Katniss arrives at the water with renewed confidence. She's successfully talked herself out of a panic attack. Her experience on Korovin won't be the same as it was on Unalaska. She is armed and ready for a battle. She's not pregnant, not dealing with marital issues, and not blindsided by the Russian activity. She knows what to expect as she watches the Russian ship reach land. She counts the dozen men who pour out of the ship as they are met by Paylor's elders.

"Paylor wants you to attend the meeting," Cinna says. Katniss heard his approach. He didn't surprise her.

"Why?"

"Well, you're the face of the rebellion." Katniss scoffs. "Really. That rescue on Unalaska you pulled off was something. Word spreads fast. They want you to lead-"

"Lead? I'll lead nothing. I have a child to care for, husbands to keep, a household to maintain, a business to run..."

"Exactly."

"What?

Cinna hooks his arm in hers as leads her toward the village center, where the meeting will be taking place.

"You lived a life of prestige on Unalaska. They tried to destroy it."

"They did destroy it."

"They upset it. Some parts. But you wouldn't let them completely destroy it. You escaped. Helped others escape. You became a pillar here, in a new alithuth. Some see that as a threat."

"Like who?"

"Like Coin. Like Snow. Let's not forget you killed her husband."

"I just want to live quietly. Not be paraded around as some sort of show bird."

"You should consider this an honor. You'll be the among the first to know what happens here on Korovin."

"What do you expect to happen?"

"I don't know."

They enter the village center and Katniss makes a point of sitting as far away as she can. Her heart stops when she sees Coin enter surrounded by Russian guards. Coin came all the way to Korovin herself. She turns questiongly to Cinna, who nods slowly to her in response.

"Thank you for having us today, Chief Paylor," Coin begins.

"We welcome friendly visitors at all times, General Coin. How long will your party be with us? We would like to offer you accommodations on land."

"That's very generous of you. But Korovin is hardly in a position to offer such aid. In fact, that's what brings us here. We would like to make an offer to your citizens."

"Oh?"

"We know how your numbers have swelled. The population has grown beyond your resources. Before Korovin collapses from the inside out, please consider merging our communities. Some of your people can be sent to live on our colony, Unalaska. We can guarantee them work, shelter. Even Russian citizenship. A reaping of the people on Korovin could be good for your commmunity. Unalaska has become-"

"Russia? No thank you, Coin. Our Unangan are happy. Our alithuth is strong. We do not require your assistance."

"I understand. Please let us know if you reconsider our offer, Paylor. Many families have benefited from our arrangement."

Katniss stands, and does her best to quietly sneak away from the village center.

"The Everdeens are a fine example."

With that, Katniss freezes. She can feel the eyes on her as she turns her attention back to the meeting.

"A family struggling with infidelity is not strong. They were headed for dishonor before the reaping. We gave them a chance to start over. Should the young Mr. Everdeen have survived, his life in Russia would have been rich."

Katniss balls her hands into fists upon hearing Coin's twisted take on their story. The Russian missionaries preyed on Gale's insecurities, she wants to scream. The reaping didn't give her a chance to start over, they had taken it for themselves when they escaped. But she can feel Haymitch staring at her, willing her to keep her mouth shut. So instead, she bites her tongue so hard she draws blood. She twists the poisonous green woven bracelet on her wrist, wondering how many Russians she could kill from where she stands. But she says nothing.

"Your own Snow has been happy with the results of our arrangement," Coin concludes.

With that, Paylor tenses. Surprise flashes in her eyes for a moment, only a moment then vanishes."Thank you for your proposition, General Coin. We will be in touch should our situation change," Paylor concludes. Ever the politician.

"I'm sure you will," Coin answers with a tight lipped smile.

The Russians stand, and escort General Coin out of the village center, towards the water, and Katniss assumes, back to their ship.

Katniss's second attempt at a speedy exit is interrupted. "Mrs. Everdeen," Paylor calls. "May I have a word with you?"

Katniss swallows thickly and nods.

"You too, Haymitch," Paylor adds.

Katniss and Haymitch exchange a look as they follow Paylor into her base, a barrabarra of sorts, though this underground structure is used solely for purposes of government. Safely inside, Paylor spins on them.

"You knew they were coming," Paylor starts, staring at Haymitch. He only nods. "They want a reaping on Korovin. Did it sound to you like we have many options?"

"Just the ones we've discussed. Nothing new on the table today," Haymitch adds cryptically. Katniss resists the urge to furrow her brow and give away her confusion.

"When you arrived on Korovin, did you or did you not relay to me news of Snow's death?"

"Yes, ma'am." Haymitch answers.

She turns to Katniss. "Did you or did you not claim to have taken her life?"

"No, ma'am," Katniss responds.

"No?"

"No, ma'am. Our escape from Unalaska claimed the lives of 8 men, 4 women, 2 children, and 4 elders. 5 if you count Cornelius Snow."

"Cornelius? You merely killed a man!?"

"He was no mere man, Chief. He orchestrated the reaping. He led the kidnapping," Haymitch explains.

"He killed Unangan right in front of us," Katniss adds.

"Are you suggesting that he acted of his own accord, Mrs. Everdeen? That Anna Snow had nothing to do with that? That she doesn't know how to keep her men in line?" Paylor leans in closely. "Do you know how to keep your men in line?"

Katniss purses her lips and narrows her eyes.

"Yes, ma'am."

"You're dismissed, Mrs. Everdeen."

Katniss chances one last gaze at Haymitch before exiting the barrabarra. "What the fuck?" she whispers to herself. She inhales sharply as she feels her life on Korovin begin to crumble. Yesterday's adgilaq rippled out further than she could imagine. Shes unfortunately alone with her thoughts as she walks home. She goes over the logistics of their escape plan from Korovin. The ship Cinna procured for them, the supplies they've stashed. Even Poky has her share of duties during their "fire drills." Katniss is at war with herself. Fight or flight?

She returns home to find Peeta and Poky in their barrabarra, eating a meal together. Upon seeing them, she loses it. She drops to her knees, the tears flow freely, and her shoulders move up and down as her body shakes with worry and fear.

"Don't cry, Anax," Poky whispers as she climbs onto her lap.

Katniss forces the tears to stop as her emotions find a new home as a knot in the pit of her stomach. "I'm okay, baby. Just...twisted my ankle is all." the veneer is chipping on her go-to lie.

"Hey, Poky. Why don't you take this and go paint Anax something pretty on that wall over there," Peeta says gesturing to a blank space on the wall.

"Oh, I'd like that sweetie," Katniss responds.

"Can I?"

"Of course you can," he smiles.

Poky wraps her tiny arms around his neck. "Thanks, Adaq! Anax, I'm going to paint you something so pretty! You'll see!" She happily sits and begins her work.

"Talk to me Katniss," Peeta says as he sits beside her. He wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her close.

"Bad day," she offers with a sad smile. Peeta exhales once through his nose In acknowledgment of her joke. He waits for her to explain. She's silent for nearly two minutes. She decides to begin at the beginning. She gestures to the bracelet on her wrist, the flower in her hair, the ivory around her neck.

"Annie and I harvested the monkshood." Peeta nods as he takes her wrist, examining the bracelet. "I caught her with Enobaria again." Peeta chuckles. "And she kissed me." He arches and eyebrow at her.

"That's not why you're upset," he says shaking his head.

"No. I just. I thought I should tell you." She exhales and looks up to the ceiling. "Coin wants to reap Korovin. And Paylor thinks I've been less than forthcoming with intel."

"Ah," Peeta nods.

"We have to go," she finishes.

Peeta nods again. They sit for another moment in silence. "We'll be okay, Katniss. We knew this was a possibility. That's why we planned forbeer We're ready." He reaches out to her face and pulls her by the chin to meet his eyes.

"I'll protect you. You know that." He leans in and captures her lips in a kiss.

"I'm yours," she murmurs against his lips.

"Yes, you're mine," she whispers back after another open mouthed kiss.

Peeta slides his hand up her back and rests it on her neck. He pulls her closer and deepens the kiss as he slides his tongue into her mouth. She responds eagerly, nipping at his bottom lip.

"Can I have a kiss too, Anax?"

Katniss and Peeta break away.

"Of course, baby," Katniss says as she stands up and swoops Poky into her arms. She plants kisses on either of her cheeks, on her forehead, and finally on her nose while Poky giggles and squirms in her arms.

"Come see what I painted," Poky pleads.

"Show me," Katniss requests. She places Poky back on the ground and follows her over to the other side of the barrabarra.

After a few minutes of playing with her daughter, Katniss is startled by a noise coming from the front of the barrabarra. Finnick arrives home, and he's obviously distraught. Katniss and Peeta stand, and they all hold each others gaze for a long while.

Finally, Finn turns to Peeta. Without words, an understanding passes between them. Peeta exhales, and turns to Kantiss. He claims her mouth with a kiss again, and whispers "Remember what we talked about. We'll be okay." Peeta calls over to Poky. "I'm going to see Kukax! Does anyone want to join me?" Poky is hot on his heels, and together they exit the barrabarra. Katniss and Finnick stare at each other until the sounds of their laughter and footsteps fade away.

"You look like hell, Finn," Katniss starts.

"I feel like hell," he nods. "You're not feeling so hot either, are you?"

"No."

"The Russians arrive?"

"Coin and her guards," Katniss says hugging herself tightly.

"Coin? That's something."

"They want a reaping on Korovin."

Finnick sits down on the bed. "Fuckers," he mutters. "It's all going to shit." He leans forward with his elbows on his knees and hangs his head.

"What's wrong?" Katniss asks, sitting down next to him.

"I saw...Annie was sitting behind the infirmary, and I saw her ... kiss..."

"Shit!" Katniss mutters. She was going to tell him that Annie kissed her. She just hadn't seen him since. Having him find out on his own, having him see it, is so much worse. She doesn't know where to begin. An apology? No, an explanation.

"I, um...I was going to tell you," she whispers.

Finn laughs quietly. "How long?" he asks.

"I don't understand."

"How long have you known?"

"What?"

"How long have you know about her and Enobaria?"

"..a while..."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Um... Well..." This is not quite what Katniss was expecting to have to explain. "It wasn't my place to say anything about that... I'm sorry." Her apology is more loaded than she thinks he realizes.

"I just want her to be happy. I can't believe she felt like she had to keep this from me."

Katniss leans over and kisses Finn on the cheek. "Theres more," she says.

She feels hands on the hem of her tunic. She places her hands on top of Finn's as he tries to disrobe her.

"What are you doing?"

"I just need to feel you, Kat."

"Wait, Finn. We need to talk."

"Later."

"But, I have to tell you-"

"Shhh," he puts a finger to her lips. "Don't. Not now. Right now, I just need to feel your skin." He pulls the tunic over her head. She doesn't have time to react before he's on her, propelling her back to the bed and covering her body with his own. He trails open-mouthed kisses along her collarbone and down her throat. His hands roam her body with quick, jerked movements. He makes short work of his clothing, peeling pieces off between kisses."Slow down, Finn," she whispers. When he slows his hands and takes a deep breath, Katniss concedes to let him escape into her body. She knows it isn't right, but decides to let the conversation go for now. She removes her weapons, the accessories Finn did not know to pull off of her and sets them down in the pile of discarded clothing.

She sits back on the bed with her legs stretched out before her. Finn crawls on his hands and knees towards her. She places her hands palm down to her sides behind her and leans back. She raises her knees and Finn settles between them as she spreads herself open for him.

"Are you ready for me, baby?" he purrs.

"I'm always ready for you," she breathes back. Her words shoot a pulse of desire through his body, and he hardens instantly.

He looks down to see she's telling the truth. She is glistening wet for him. He's sucks his bottom lip into his mouth.

His hands find her knees, and he slides them up along the outside of her thighs. He wraps them around her, grabbing ahold of the flesh of her ass with one hand, his other hand finding purchase beside her. He lifts her up by her ass and pulls her to him. In one motion, he sheaths himself inside of her.

He thrusts into her slowly and deeply, swiveling his hips keeping them flush against hers as they move together. He slants his mouth over hers kissing her deeply, and swallowing her moans. he withdraws from her almost completely before slamming into her again, and resuming his close rocking stroke.

When he pulls his mouth from hers and bites down on her shoulder, she knows he's close.

"Come for me, Finn. Now," she begs.

He squeezes the flesh of her ass harder and swivels his hips slower as he spills inside of her. The sensation of him pulsing inside of her helps her reach her climax and she cries out.

"I love you," he whispers.

He rests his forehead against hers as the aftershocks of their orgasms wash over them and their breathing returns to normal.

"I love you too. You should rest," she whispers back as Finn withdraws from her and lays on his back.

She redresses herself, taking care to put her accessories back on. Glancing back at Finn's sleeping form, she steps outside of the barrabarra.

There's a cool breeze and the night air makes goose bumps on her skin. She wraps her arms around herself and looks up to the night sky.

"Hello, Mrs. Everdeen," a voice calls to her.

Katniss lowers her head to find Coin and three Russian guards in front of her.

As she opens her mouth the respond, she feels a hood come down over her head, bathing her instantly in darkness and taking her breath away. Suddenly there's a pain on the top of her head. She tries to scream as she loses consciousness.

**That had all you wanted and more, didn't it? Katniss and Annnie lezzing out, a Finn/Kat lemon uninterrupted by Peeta, important plot points, and a cliffhanger. Happy day after independence day, y'all!**


	5. Capture

**Here is a nice long chapter for you. It's got to hold you while, Til I can catch up some with Makushin. But it's full of the good stuff. Romance, Violence, Everlark, Anniss... Enjoy!**

**Thank you lauralulubee for playing beta on this chapter's Anniss scene. If you haven't read her fic, "I'll look after you" yet, you should!**

**And don't forget to review!**

Capture

Peeta covered Katniss with his body, taking care not to rest his full weight on her. He was nested between her legs and rested on his forearms as he slowly ground his hips against hers. As much as he appreciated making love to her and being inside of her, dry-humping like this was one of his favorite things. He could feel how eager she was as she gasped when he added pressure to her core. He could hear her breath hitch in desperation for direct contact as he palmed her breast through her clothing. The sounds of wet kisses and low moans filled the air, drawing his blood to collect in his groin. He pressed against her again to alleviate the strain.

"Mmm, Peeta," she moaned as she slid her hands down his back and squeezed the flesh of his ass. She pulled him closer to her as she opened her mouth and let his tongue slide in.

"Knock that shit off, will you?" Rye said as he entered the barrabarra.

They stilled their movements. Peeta sighed heavily, then pushed himself back to rest on his haunches. Katniss exhaled her frustration and pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes.

"You shouldn't be doing that until after you're married anyway. What if you get caught?"

"You going to tell on us?" Katniss challenged.

"I wont say a word..." he replied.

Still breathing heavy, Peeta kept his eyes on Katniss, slowly dragging his gaze up and down her form. Despite Rye's interruption and even though she still had clothes on, the sight of her on her back, knees raised, legs spread open for him - caused him to twitch. As he watched her chest rapidly rise and fall, he knew she was in a similar state of arousal. Her mouth as reddened from frantic kisses and when he licked his lips, he could still taste her on his tongue. "What are you doing home?" Peeta said. He couldn't wait for Rye to get the hell out.

"Forgot my lucky awl," Rye responded while digging through a basket next to his bed. He retrieved the tool and waved it at Peeta a few times. "Got it."

Rye grimaced as he took in the sight of his little brother, nestled between the legs of the girl he wanted to marry. Peeta had been engaged to Katniss for over ten years. Meanwhile, Rye was nursing a melon sized contusion on his abdomen from his last 'disagreement' with their mother. Katniss could make it all stop. Agree to marry him, and save him from Martha's wrath. But she refused. It was all so unfair.

"Why do you let him do that to you, Katniss? Wouldn't you rather be with a real man?

Katniss turned her head towards him and frowned. She was used to Rye saying inappropriate things. But, that didn't mean she liked it.

"You're an asshole, Rye," Peeta spat. He slid his hands up and down the outside of Katniss's thighs, trying to ignore Rye's shit talking.

"Whatever. When you decide you want to be fucked right, I'll be right here," are said as he walked out of the barrabarra.

Peeta did try to let the words roll off his back, but he failed. Katniss was disappointed to watch the desire fade from his eyes and doubt fill them instead.

"Hey. Where'd you go?" she asked.

"I was just thinking," he furrowed his brow. "Maybe someone else would be better. Maybe Rye would-"

She sat up and put a finger over his lips, silencing him.

"Rye's a virgin," she whispered.

Peeta considered her words. He didn't agree. Rye himself had recounted numerous tales of his experiences with girls. "I'm practicing for when Katniss finally decides to leave you," he'd said. "No girl wants a minute man. They want to be fucked, hard," he'd said.

"How would you know?" Peeta asked in a voice of defeat.

Katniss laughed lightly. "It's one of the selling points of his most recent marriage proposal. Your mother swears he wouldn't give it up until after marriage. But, hey - maybe I'm wrong. The same was promised of you, " she says with a wink. Peeta chuckled lightly. "Either way, I'm not interested."

Peeta nodded at her words. But she knew something hung in the air between them. "Unless... You wanted it..."

"I wouldn't ask you to do that for me," He breathed.

"But you could. I love you. I'd do anything for you,"

"I just want you to be happy."

"I'll be happy as long as I have you."

She knew enough about his insecurities and guilt with Rye to know that nothing she could say would make him feel better. She knew her actions would speak louder than her words. So she sat up and pulled her tunic over her head and allowed the garment to fall to the floor. Peeta's gaze lingered on her eyes for a moment, before drifting down to her chest. His eyes grew wide and hungry.

"Fuck me, Peeta," She demanded. "You know exactly how I like it."

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

The creaking sound of wood and the rocking motion of the ground pulled Katniss from her dreamless sleep.

"Katniss!" she heard a voice call to her.

She squinted her eyes and tried to follow the voice back to consciousness.

"Katniss!" the voice calls again.

"Peeta?" she calls back, her voice hoarse.

"Katniss, wake up!"

She rolls to her side and shakes her head. Theres a pain radiating from the crown of her head and her movements are shooting lightning bolts of pain down her spine. Her eyes are squeezed shut as she tries to get on top of the unpleasantness of her headache. She slowly pushes herself up to a sitting position.

"Oh thank god, Katniss. You're alive."

"Yeah," she responds. She feels for her braceelt on her wrist, but its missing along with her necklace. She opens her eyes and takes in her surroundings. Shes in a small wooden room slumped against a cot in the corner. Two walls are plain, bare wood, while one wooden wall bears a door. There is no fourth wall, only bars separating her cell from the next. Wait. Cell? Her eyes widen as she recalls being taken by Coin and she quickly realizes she's a prisoner. In the next cell, standing with two hands pressed against the bars she finds a large figure, staring at her with piercing blue eyes.

"Peeta!" she stands and takes a step toward the man. She halts when she realizes he's not her husband. "Rye?"

"Hey," he offers a small smile.

"What's going on? Where are we?"

"We're on a Russian ship," he explains.

She walks over to the bars and looks at his face. He's pale and thin, for him, and she wonders, "how long have we been here?"

"Well, I've been here for weeks. Months, maybe. But you two just arrived a few hours ago."

"Two?"

Rye uses his index finger to point over to a figure unconscious on a cot behind Katniss.

"Oh my god. Annie!" Katniss exclaims as she strides over to Annie, grips her shoulders, and gives them a shake.

"She'll be fine,"Rye says sitting down on the cot in his cell.

"How do you know?"

"She's breathing. The stuff they use to knock us out wears off."

"Well they used blunt force to knock me out," Katiss says while rubbing her head.

"Maybe. But you had a hood on when you got here. They soak the hoods in stuff that makes you sleep."

"How do you know that?"

"Seen enough people come through here."

"Why are you here?"

"I don't know."

Katniss sits on the cot next to Annie, eager for her to wake. Annie doesn't stir. At all.

"You look beautiful, Katniss," Rye says. Katniss rolls her eyes. "Really. I love the flower in your hair," he says.

"Flower?" she whispers and she slowly brings her hand up to her head. Sure enough, her headpiece is still there. She becomes even more impatient for Annie to wake up.

She stands up and walks over to the wooden door.

"One outside each door," Rye says. Craning her neck, Katniss can see one Russian guard posted outside their cell.

"Do they ever let us out?"

"No." Rye answers slowly. "They've never moved me. And no one they have ever comes back."

Katniss considers her options. She's got enough poison to drop the guards outside of their cells. But, she doesn't know enough about where she is to make that a worthwhile plan.

"How's Peeta?" Rye finally asks, breaking Katniss from her trance.

"He's good. Last I saw him. They took me and I don't know..." she trails off, unable to give a voice to her fears. She's silent for a long minute as she falls back into deep thought.

"I wish I could've been there," Rye says quietly. His words carry weight. Had Katniss agreed to marry him, he would have been.

It's hours later when Annie finally stirs and upon seeing their situation, her mind all but turns in on itself. She seems oddly at peace, though, allowing the rocking motion of the ship to keep her calm. Katniss quickly learns to appreciate Rye's company. They talk about their families, Peeta and Martha on Korovin, while the other Mellark men remain on Unalaska.

There's a small port window on the wall in Katnniss's cell, which is constantly lapped by water. The portal is her only connection to the outside world. She knows they're in the bottom of the ship, and she's able to count the passing days.

It's the fourth day of her capture when Rye works up the nerve to ask,

"Why didn't you marry me, Katniss?"

Her smile falters. She knew this conversation would eventually come. "You didn't love me," she answers simply.

"Yes I did."

"You've got a funny way of showing it."

"We can't all be as eloquent as Peeta...I've been jealous of him for so many things for so long."

"Rye, don't do this."

"Don't do what? Finally tell you the truth? Look around. Our situation is the definition of rock bottom."

She sighs heavily. "You know I don't love you. I love Peeta. I love Finn. I love-"

"You don't love Peeta."

"Excuse me?"

"Maybe you did. Once. But you fell in love with other people too. If you loved Peeta as much as you say, you wouldn't have been able to fall in love with anyone else. Marrying one of his brothers would've been logical."

"Theres nothing logical about that."

"There is if you loved him enough to give your heart only to him."

She furrows her brow at the suggestion of monogamy. Even emotional monogamy is foreign to her. She thinks about how her marriage to Peeta and Finn is structured, made stronger by the individual relationships between them. How to remove one factor would cause the entire relationship to crumble. Especially after what Gale had put them through. Gale.

"I've heard a rant like this before," she spits.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I know you've spent a lot of time with Gale."

"Gale is a perfect example. He knew-"

"He didn't know anything. And neither do you."

The sound of rusted metal sliding along old wood causes them to both stand. Katniss watches the blood drain from Rye's face as her door is opened. She keeps her eyes locked on his as a silent scream hangs on his lips. She hears footsteps behind her and feels the air shift as a hood is brought over her head. The strong antiseptic smell invades her body. Her eyes and throat burn, and it's not long before she loses consciousness.

X

"Mrs. Everdeen, it's a pleasure to see you again. Hope the chloroform isn't too unpleasant for you."

The hood is ripped off Katniss's head, and her eyes struggle to adjust to the light. She tries to lift her hands to rub her burning eyes, but they're heavy with metal around her wrists. She takes in the blurry forms of at least ten men as she squints her eyes. She sighs in defeat. There's no way she could take out that many soldiers alone, disoriented, and shackled. The hopelessness of her situation washes over her.

The ground doesn't sway like it did on the ship. Shes on land. But where is she? She hears something scrape across the floor, a large item being dragged in her direction. A chair. Her vision clears just enough for her to make out a figure sitting down in front of her close enough that she detects the scent of flowers.

"Anna," she says quietly.

"Thank you for joining me today,"

"I was in the neighborhood," Katniss replies rocking her head from side to side.

Snow laughs. "Yes, well. I apologize for my less than subtle invitation. However, I need a moment of your time. Surely you've trained those cowards of yours enough to look after things on Korovin for a while."

Katniss balls her hands into fists at that.

"Now, now, Mrs. Everdeen. Don't be sensitive. It's the truth after all. We can agree that we were both laxed on training proper men. Mine got out of hand - didn't do what he was supposed to . And yours, well, they left you to do the heavy lifting, didn't they? You never should have had to dirty your hands with this." The sounds of a hammer being pulled back on a revolver sends a jolt down Katniss's spine. She feels the weight of the weapon she left on the Unalaska beach, land in her lap. "And to think you were with child too? Tsk Tsk Tsk. How is the little one? Takes after her mother I'm sure."

"What do you want?"

Anna smiles at her. "A truce. I need your help."

"Why would I help you?"

"Because it's the only way to save your family."

Anna leans forward and places her hands on Katniss's knees. She slowly drags her fingertips up her thigh as she speaks.

"You have become a person of influence both here an on Korovin. A person to be respected. And while I am feared, I have found that respect goes much further." Katniss tenses as Anna grips her hips tightly. "You give the people hope. Which I find very attractive." Katniss presses her lips into a tight line as she feels Anna lean forward. Anna ghosts her lips along Katniss's jaw and down her neck as she continues. Katniss remains motionless.

"You ooze power. And I want to tap into it. You will help me merge Korovin into our artel. Use your influence to convince Chief Paylor."

"What's in it for me?"

Anna seems excited by Katniss' inquiry. She drags her hands up Katniss' sides a cups her face as she responds.

"Power. Prestige. A seat in our government - We govern with three chiefs here. You could be one of them. "

Katniss laughs, "I hear that three chief system is a joke."

"The Unangan currently in place have not lived up to the challenge of keeping a strong Aleutian presence. Another reason why you are so valuable here. Calm the rebellion on Korovin and you'll be beautifully rewarded. You can even keep as many men in your company as you like. That Rye Mellark is a fine specimen. Why you chose his little brother and not him is beyond me."

"I have my reasons," Katniss reponds.

Anna drops her hold on Katniss and stands. "And I have mine. Be our songbird. Be the face of the positive Russian influence."

"No."

"You'd do well to think things through, Mrs. Everdeen." Anna knocks on a wooden door. Two Russian guards drag in a red haired woman wearing a Russian solder uniform a deposit her on the floor not ten feet from Katniss.

"Ensign Lavinia here is responsible for your husband's death," Anna proclaims.

"No!" the woman cries.

"Yes! She rigged the explosion aboard the Sv Iermiia. She killed the innocent Unangan who were reaped. She robbed them of a long and fruitful life."

"No!" the woman cried again.

Katniss remained still. She was chained down herself, unable to help the woman anyway. She tried to reconcile Anna's words with what Haymitch, Cinna and even what Gale's letter have told her. She knows she's hearing half truths. She considers that this whole thing is an elaborate attempt to hijack her mind, poison them with doubts and negative thoughts about the Russians she's trusted this far. Or maybe, the rebels have done their job so well, that Anna really does believe the Sv Iermiia destroyed and Gale deceased.

"Speak again, and I'll cut your tongue out!" Anna yells at the woman. She turns back to Katniss.

"It's your duty to protect our Unangan from filth like this," she nudges Ensign Lavinia with her foot. She kneels in front of Katniss and removes the revolver from her lap. She cocks the hammer back into place and hands it to one of the guards. "Listen to me carefully, Mrs. Everdeen, because what I am about to say is pure truth: Our world is coming to an end. Our numbers will dwindle until our way of life is no more." Katniss stares daggers into the woman's eyes, but she knows she's right. Anna Snow is not lying. "We need allies to survive. We will need the help of the Russians, may even the Americans they speak of too. We can't do it alone."

"Katniss, don't listen to her-" Lavinia's plea is cut off as the Russian guards force her to her back on the ground. Anna retrieves a knife from her waistband and walks over to the woman.

"What did I tell you Ensign?" The guards hold the woman down and Anna uses the knife to pry the woman's mouth open. She grabs ahold of her tongue and in one motion slices half of it off. Blood splatters across the room, landing on Katniss's lap as the woman sobs. It takes everything Katniss has to remain motionless.

Anna walks back over to Katniss and kneels in front of her again as the woman is dragged from the room. Katniss feels the warm blood covering Anna's hands as she places them onto her shoulders and looks into her eyes.

"Think about it," Anna says.

The hood is pulled over Katniss's head again.

X

When Katniss wakes up again, she finds herself back in her cell aboard the unnamed Russian ship. Her head rests in Annie's lap, who strokes her hair gently while humming to her.

"Where did they take you?" Annie whispers. "I cleaned blood off you, but you didn't have any wounds."

Katniss smiles sadly. "I'm okay Annie. But we have to find a way out of here."

Annie nods.

"Katniss?" she hears Rye's voice call to her. She turns her head to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry."

Katniss smiles softly and drifts back to sleep.

She wakes as the last bits of sunlight pierce through the porthole. Annie sits beside her, talking to Rye across the bars. She lays ignoring their conversation, and contemplating their escape.

It's not long before they grow quiet. Katniss hears a faint tapping on the porthole window. Annie is blissfully unaware of the sound, as she rocks herself back and forth to the rhythm of the water, and Rye mumbles obscenities to himself next door. The two guards outside seem sufficiently distracted by their own conversation. So, Katniss chances a look over her shoulder. Her eyes widen when outside of the widow, she sees Peeta. He simply gestures up with his index finger, and than he's gone.

In that instant she knows, she has to get out of this room.

She needs a plan of escape. Of what use will Peeta's efforts to recuse them be if she's still stuck in that room, wasting precious moments that they will likely need to get away from the ship.

She sits up and places her palms together. She brings her thumbs to her chin, tucking her nose in between her index fingers as she thinks. "Fuck," she mutters to herself, as she comes up empty. Her hands part, as they cover her face. She hangs her head as she slides her hands through her hair and - the hairpiece.

She knows she's got enough poison in her hair to drop both guards and then some. She considers simply tossing the darts at them. But should they collapse outside, she wouldn't be able to reach their keys and free herself and Annie. No, she'll have to draw them inside. She concludes that she will need a distraction. She will have to do something to draw the guards into their room before she can poison them.

But how?

Her eyes fly open with realization.

"Annie," she purrs. Her voice effectively breaking Annie from her trance. "Do you trust me?" Katniss whispers.

Katniss crawls over to Annie and, just as Annie did back at the infirmary, she presses their lips together. Annie's eyebrows rise for a second before she relaxes into the kiss and returns it tenfold. Katniss's eyes dart over to the bars separating them from Rye, communicating to Annie that in order for this to work, they'll need a PR agent.

"Don't tell Finn," Annie whispers between kisses. She moves her mouth down Katniss' neck, taking her time to lick every curve and hollow. When she reaches her collarbone Katniss lets out a genuine moan.

"Don't tell Peeta," Katniss whispers back. Annie pulls Katniss' tunic aside and works her way down her shoulder.

"I won't say a word," Rye replies. PR agent successfully recruited.

"I'm going to make you scream," Katniss says to Annie, loud enough for Rye to hear. A small moan comes from Rye's side of the containment. He's pressed himself up against the bars in an attempt to give himself a better angle.

Annie responds with a knowing smirk. When their lips crash together again, Katniss let's out another low moan. Annie brings her hands to Kantiss's head, grabbing two handfuls of her hair as she eagerly returns the kiss. When Annie's hands move to find Katniss' breasts she can't keep herself from pushing herself further into her embrace.

"Whoo!" Rye's voice echoes through the cells. He's taking the bait.

Annie feels nothing like Finnick or Peeta and even though she definitely prefers the company of her husbands she must admit that Annie definitely knows what she's doing. And whatever she's doing feels unbelievable. Katniss can't help herself, her hands roam over Annie's body, squeezing and rubbing over her tunic. Annie does the same bringing her hands up between Katniss' legs to caress her quickly. The touch is a tease and Katniss can't help but want more. When she reaches Annie's breast, she lightly pinches the peaks between her thumb and index finger. Annie drops her head back and moans,

"Mmmm, Katniss."

"Fuck, this is hot!" Rye continues.

"Quiet in there!" the guard yells at him.

Katniss brings a hand to Annie's shoulder and encourages her to lay on her back. If this is going to work they need to bring this to a completely new level. She uses both hands to tug Annie's tunic up above her waist. Annie arches her eye brow again.

"You sure?"

Annie's breathing hard and it's making her breasts rise and fall. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Rye is excited and wonders if Peeta would be as well. Slowly she trails her mouth down Annie's body trailing kisses over her soft skin. When Katniss reaches the juncture at her thighs she smiles slightly to herself. There's a first time for everything, she thinks as she lowers her head. Annie lets out a loud cry. Her body shivers as Katniss takes the first swipe with her tongue. She's sweet and Katniss can't help being surprised at the feeling of pride she has for making Annie feel good.

"You expect me to keep quiet when they're doing that?" Rye asks the guard.

Katniss continues her ministrations but looks up over her eyelashes. The guard follows Rye's gaze to the opposite cell where Katniss was already settled between Annie's legs.

Katniss and Annie are painfully aware that they're being watched. But, this is what they wanted. An audience. Annie tugs the tunic over her head, providing the men with a tantalizing view of them. Katniss takes a long tentative lick. After all, if they can see everything, they'll be lured into the room.

"Fuck, Katniss!" Annie exclaims.

"What's she doing to you?" Rye asks.

"Oh, she's licking me. It feels…so good."

"She's so wet," Katniss says, though her voice is muffled. "and she tastes so sweet."

When the guard opens the door to their cell, Rye sobers up.

"Hey man, what the fuck do you think you're doing?"

As the second guard enters behind him, Rye becomes near hysterical. "Get the fuck out of there. Both of you."

Rye doesn't know it, but he's providing Katniss and Annie with very important intel. Annie keeps her eyes closed as she reaches down toward Katniss's hair, retrieving two of the darts from her hairpiece. Upon feeling Annie withdraw one hand from her head, Katniss retrieves two darts of her own.

"Get away from them!" Rye screams. "Katniss! Annie! Watch out!"

The Russian guards approach them. The first one moves toward Annie, tugging her hair, forcing her head back. Annie doesn't move yet.

"You must be real lonely in here," the guard growls.

Annie simply stares up at him and replies, "No."

It's not until the second guard smooths his hand over Katniss's ass saying, "Let a man handle you from here," that they know it's time to strike. The first guard bends down toward Annie, his mouth open, about to force her to kiss him when she brings her hand up, digging the darts into his neck. At the same time, Katniss hears the guard behind her drop his pants, and she turns around and plants two darts into the exposed flesh of the man's thigh. The first guard stumbles back, falling dead on the ground in an instant. The second man however, having received the poison in his leg, has a moment to react. And with his last burst of energy, he strikes Katniss across the face.

"No means 'no,' you fuckers!" Katniss exclaims, holding her cheek.

"Oh my god, Katniss what the hell just happened?" Rye asks, obviously relieved.

"We had it under control, Rye. You did your part," she answers.

Katniss and Annie make short work of retrieving the keys from the guards' belts. Katniss makes sure to kick the bodies a little extra. She moves outside, and goes to unlock Rye from his cell.

"Wait!" Rye protests.

"What?"

"Aren't you two gonna, you know... finish?"

"Fuck off, Rye," she rolls her eyes. "Lets go find Peeta."

**I didnt mean for this chapter to allude to a Katniss/Rye thing. I don't plan for it to go there. An none of you have requested that. So no worries :)**


	6. Qasgiq

**Author's note: Please forgive my delayed update.**

**Interesting responses to the last chapter. Those of you who requested more Anniss seemed to love it, while others seemed to think a little carpet munching crossed the (imaginary...arbitrary...) line, a pretense I'd abandoned when everyone was cool with Peeta sucking pussy juice off Finn's fingers. But I digress... Mostly, you just seem to want to know what happens next. Which is why you're still reading :)**

**Thank you for your continued support of this story. Do please continue to provide me with feedback. I write for you, and your reviews & messages help me know what direction you think the story should go in.**

**And if you're wanting a break from the cold of Alaska, check out my other fic "Rerun." It's a modern AU set in Panama and is a lot of fun :)**

**We're taking a step back in this chapter. We know what happens to Katniss and Annie, but how does Peeta get in there?**

**Like I said before, there will be no more affairs - so take the Anniss lemon for what it was, a one time thing in prison done out of desperation - and enjoy it. And no m/m lemons in this story, mostly because I don't find them sexy, and won't do them justice. But Peeta and Finn will get affectionate.**

**Oh and if anyone is going to get weird about future P/K/F threesomes, you should probably voice your objections (politely) now, or simply read another fic - I've got others that are strictly everlark, or perhaps another author will be more to your liking. No hate mail, no hard feelings. It's all fun, after all. I'm about to have a second glass of wine, and I'm feeling inspired ;)**

**New Vocab:**

**Qasgiq- large communal house, where winter festivals are held. It double as a men's house, like the lodge on the flinstones.**

**Aliakhskha- The continent. Mainland Alaska.**

Qasgiq

The day the Everdeens married, the allituth discovered alcohol.

Katniss danced with abandon, swaying her hips and moving her arms to the beat of the drum. She took care to keep her hands off the wooden mask on her face, as her movements quickened and her heart beat out of her chest. She was unbelievably happy. The entire village had gathered, as they do every winter, to celebrate new marriages in the alithuth and today, they were there to celebrate her men. All of them. It had been a long and difficult road, but she had successfully begun to build her life and her family with all three men of her choosing.

Grabbing ahold of Peeta's hand - at least the hand of who she believed to be Peeta- she pulled him to her and pressed her lips against his. She felt his tongue slide against hers and despite their public location, she allowed him to explore her as if it were the first time. The sounds of cheers and percussion echoed through the Qasgiq. But they soon faded as she became consumed by her desire for her husband. She felt fingers wrap around her bicep and she was pulled away from Peeta's body. But, before her lips could form an objection, she felt warm kisses trail along her neck. She wondered if it was Gale. Though...It just as easily could've been Finn. Her head was swimming and her inhibitions lowered as she felt three sets of hot breath and lips on her skin. She allowed her hands to roam freely over the hard bodies of the men before her. She couldn't be sure who was who. But she didn't care. It didn't matter. They were all hers.

"I'm thirsty," she breathed. And she dropped her head back, looking to the roof of the Qasgiq. Her eyes began to lose focus and so she closed them. A strong arm wrapped around her waist and she instantly relaxed.

"Peeta?"

"It's me," Finn replied. His voice sounded just as breathless as hers and she wondered if he was feeling the same strange sensations she was experiencing. The answer to that question was in his kiss, wet, demanding and sloppy. Something was going on here.

She slumped against him. "I love you, Finn," she said. She watched one of her husbands walk towards the other side of the Qasgiq. He reached a wooden bowl into a large wooden barrel and retrieved some of the reddish liquid they had been serving all evening.

"Thank you," Finn replied.

Katniss dragged her eyes away from her other husband and looked up at Finn, struggling to identify the green of his orbs through the wooden masks on their faces. "For what?" she queried.

"For loving me half as much as I love you."

She smiled softy at him.

"Drink this," Gales voice sounded behind her. She turned to see his outstretched hand and accepted the offering, greedily gulping the strange sweet and sour liquid. She pulled the bowl away from her lips and felt the warm calloused flesh of Peeta's fingers wrap around hers. He retrieved the bowl from her hand, heartily gulping the liquid and passing it over to Finn.

"What is this stuff?" Katniss asked.

"Rue made it. She and her sister picked the berries themselves," Peeta explained.

Katniss nodded. She was there, at the waterside with Peeta and Finn, when the two young girls found a barrel floating along the shore. Through the fog in her mind, she remembered that they watched together as the girls pulled it to land and pried it open. The clear liquid inside stung their noses but, the girls wondered whether it would preserve the berries from their harvest.

"We'll try it," the tiny girl named Rue proclaimed. "Worst case, we lose some berries. The harvest was good this year. We won't miss them."

A few weeks later, the berries had dissolved in the barrel creating the concoction they were currently enjoying.

Katniss danced in euphoric celebration until her feet screamed for her to stop. She lost her balance as an arm slid across her back and another at her knees and scooped her up.

"Gale?"

"It's me," Peeta replied.

"Oh, Peeta." She nuzzled her face against his chest. "I love you the most," she admitted.

Peeta kissed her head, mumbling against her. "I know."

He covered her body with a blanket as he carried her out of the Qasgiq and into the night air. Her eyes fluttered closed and she inhaled deeply, expecting the comforting scent of the cool night air. But instead she was met with the terrible scent of burning wood and smoke.

Katniss coughed as Peeta carried her down the familiar path from the Qasgiq to the water. She was too far gone to stop Gale and Finn as they ran back inside to warn the rest of the alithuth. The last thing she saw before her eyes fell shut was orange and yellow flame engulf the alithuth's winter stockpile building.

Fire.

Xoxoxoxoxo

Peeta is well aware that when he's around, Poky only has eyes for him. She sits on his knee, begging him to bounce her "just one more time," while Mrs. Everdeen unsuccessfully offers toys and sweets - from which Poky will happily abstain if it means sitting with her Anax. Watching his mother in law vie for an ounce of the toddler's attention is both the ultimate compliment, and a source of mild guilt. He quietly steps outside of Mrs. Everdeen's barrabarra, smiling at the sounds of Poky squealing in delight while playing with her grandmother.

It's not often that he has a moment to himself. With Poky entertained by Mrs. Everdeen and Katniss and Finnick handling - whatever it is they need to handle, Peeta takes the opportunity to shift his focus. He's been so preoccupied with all that's going in inside of his house, he hasn't stopped to process the changes happening on Korovin. His conversation with Katniss has got the wheels turning in his head. It's not long before he's wandered to the Qasgiq, where he's not surprised to see men have gathered.

Haymitch holds up a hand in greeting as he sees Peeta approach. "Mrs. E send you looking for her husband? He's inside."

"Well, aren't you just everywhere?" Peeta says with a smirk. "Hear you've been scaring my wife."

"A little fear would do her good," Haymitch says gruffily.

"Maybe."

"You're awfully calm, considering."

"We're prepared."

Haymitch let's out a loud laugh. "Ha! You think so?"

Peeta shrugs. "We knew Korovin would be temporary."

"Did you now? Tell me, young man. Where will you go next?"

Peeta holds Haymitch's gaze. He doesn't have a definitive answer for him. They've planned their escape, but not their destination. "Aliakhskha," Peeta replies quietly. "We can seek refuge..." Peeta trails off as Haymitch laughs anew.

"So you've got half a plan. Almost," Haymitch observes. "You'd do well to look into things a little more. The continent isn't any less chaotic. Russians own some of it. For now. People from further south have their eye one it. Our cousins are caught in the same crossfire. Probably best not to bring your family into the middle of another struggle. Don't you know what's real and not real?"

Peeta considers his words. He recalls his conversation with Katniss. The reaping, their escape from Unalaska... Their unfinished business with Anna Snow. He swallows hard as his stomach twists into a knot. "Coin..." he starts.

"Real," Haymitch replies.

"Katniss..." he continues.

Peeta looks up and watches the smile fade from Haymitch's face. Without another word he spins on his heel and runs at full sprint back to the Everdeen land. The sounds of Haymitch's footsteps behind him fade as he pulls ahead, much faster than the old man.

Its not long before their barrabarra appears in the distance. Peeta's hair stands on end as he approaches it. His pace slows and his heart beats faster as he sees the multiple footprints marking the ground. He steels himself as he presses forward.

His head whips around as he desperately looks for other people. It's eerily quiet. And he doesn't it like it one bit.

"Finn?" he says quietly, still trying to take in his surroundings.

He spies the signs of struggle. The qilumitautit cut and laid across the ground, the knives lodged into the bark of trees, the blood staining the dirt.

"Kat?" Peeta moves forward with his eyes darting around, trying to identity any immediate dangers.

He shaking with fear and barley contained rage as he approaches the bodies laying outside of the barrabarra. Two Russian, one Unangan. Finn.

Peeta retrieves his poisoned knives from waist. He silently walks, tiptoeing over the other men, and kneels beside Finn. He keeps his eyes trained on the Russian men as he presses two fingers to Finn's neck. He lets out a breath he didnt know he was holding when he's able to find a pulse.

Moving over to the check the Russians, he curses under his breath to find the first body lifeless. He kneels above the second body, laying in a pool of blood but he is able to find a flutter of a slight pulse. He's concentrating so hard on trying to feel for the sign of life again that he doesn't hear the rustle behind him until the body is close. Spinning around, he flicks his wrist and sends a knife spiraling through the air, narrowly missing Haymitch as he ducks out of the way. Peeta sighs in relief.

"Lucky for me you have shit aim," Haymitch says as he kneels next to Finn.

"You shouldn't sneak up on me," Peeta warns.

Peeta runs into the barrabarra and Haymitch hears the sounds of him tearing things apart. He emerges a moment later.

"She's gone," he says breathlessly. Haymitch keeps his eyes on Peeta as a flurry of emotions pass through his face. Shock, despair... Anger. Peeta walks over to the fire and retrieves a bucket filled with water. He moves close and dumps it's contents onto Finn, splashing Haymitch in the process. Finn's body jerks and his limbs flail at the sensation. He gasps greedily for air as he's jolted into consciousness.

Haymitch stands, biting his tongue, knowing he'd better stay quiet for a minute.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" Peeta demands.

"Where are they?" Finn asks through labored breaths.

"Who?" Peeta asks.

"Coin! ...Ah!" Finn says wincing and bringing he hand up to the top of his head. "Her men. There were...7. Maybe 8."

Haymitch walks over to the lifeless body of the Russian and retrieves Finn's knife from his back.

"Looks like you took down 2 of them," Haymitch says and he tosses the knife into the ground in front of him.

"Fuck, that's it?" Finn asks incredulously. Peeta places his hand over Finn's on top of his head, feeling the large bump that's developed there.

Haymitch looks at the knives lodged in the trees. "You've got shit aim too." Peeta shoots him a look and Haymitch decides staying quiet would have been better. Haymitch moves over to the second Russian.

"Where's Katniss?" Peeta asks turning away from Haymitch.

"I dont know. I heard her scream, it woke me up ...I came outside... Fuck..."

"Try to remember," Peeta pleads moving his hand to Finn's shoulder.

"Umm.. They had a hood over her head. They were carrying her away. I threw my knives at them... Then... Those two grabbed me, I fought them off. Then I heard Annie scream... I didn't even know she was there...And then... My head..."

Peeta exhales and wraps his arms around Finn. He buries his face into the crook of Finn's neck and Finn returns the embrace.

"I'm sorry," Finn whispers.

"Get the fuck away from me, savage!" a raspy voice demands.

"Hate to break it up fellas...but either of you speak enough Russian to know what the hell this guy's saying?"

Haymitch has dragged the Russian over to a tree leaving a trail of blood in his wake and has the man sitting up against the trunk pinned in place with a few of Finn's knives. The man is groggy, both from loss of blood and from having just been awakened. He's staring in disbelief at the handle of a knife protruding from his leg, the wound causing him to bleed.

Peeta nudges Finn with his nose before releasing him. He grabs the woven bracelet from the ground as he walks over to Haymitch and their new prisoner.

"Where are they?" Peeta asks in a calm and even tone.

"Get this disgusting drunk away from me. He smells like shit."

"What'd he say?" Haymitch demands.

"He says you're charming," Peeta relays.

Haymitch rolls his eyes and quickly grabs the handle of the knife and twists. The man lets out an agonized yelp.

"Ask him again," Haymitch says with a smile.

"Listen..."Peeta leans forward and reads the small strip of metal dangling from the man's neck. "Seneca. I don't know why you're here, but I'd cooperate if I were you."

Through gritted teeth Seneca answers. "You're the people who cost me my last post. I got fucking demoted because of you back on Unalaska."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. But your situation is much worse now. You're going to die. Whether we let that leg of yours bleed out, or whether we speed things up along for you for better or worse, it's going to happen. The question is, how would you like to go?" Peeta's eyes dart over to Haymitch, who takes the cue and twists the knife again. Seneca screams again, louder this time.

"I can make it stop," Peeta promises. "All you have to do is tell me where they took her."

"Fuck you," Seneca manages.

"Fuck me?" Peeta reaches toward his waist and pulls out a handful of knives and fans them out in front of the man's face. "Why do you insist on wasting my time?"

"You shouldn't be so eager," Seneca says. His eyes are glued to the knives in Peeta's hand. "You'll all go back soon enough."

"Back where?"

Seneca stares at him. Peeta shows no emotion as he brings one of the knives down into Seneca's good leg. Seneca screams, while Haymitch holds back a laugh.

"Where?" Peeta asks again. He's unamused.

"Unalaska!" Seneca gasps. "Coin brought her back to Unalaska."

"There's a word I recognize," Haymitch mutters.

"Why?" Peeta continues.

"To talk to Snow. I don't know why."

"Where on Unalaska?"

"The mountain," he says with a defeated sigh.

Peeta knows exactly where

. He's been there himself - to the camp they ambushed. Peeta pulls out two of the filled darts from Katniss's bracelet and swiftly presses their points to Seneca's neck. It's not long before his head droops and his limbs still as the life leaves his body.

Peeta turns to find Finn has just gotten to his feet.

"Is that?" Finn asks. Peeta nods. "When did they harvest the monkshood?"

"Monkshood?" Haymitch echoes. "Dangerous women you've got."

"You have no idea," Peeta replies. He turns to Finnick. "Kat didn't tell you?"

"She didn't... I didn't... I didn't really give her the chance." Finnick blushes at the guilt he feels over wallowing in self pity and asking her to take care of his selfish needs mere minutes before she was kidnapped. Katniss had tried to talk to him about something, and he knew she had something to say.

"We should take you over to Prim's, have her look at you," Peeta replies.

"I'll go talk to Paylor. See if she had any new info," Haymitch adds.

Peeta leaves Finn outside and runs into the barrabarra. He stops at the far wall of the main room, where Katniss's baskets are stacked. He retrieves a small satchel filled with their few treasures - for some reason, he doesn't expect to return here again. He's stands at the exit, taking one last look around the home he and Finn built together and shifts his weight from foot to foot. Feeling the crunchy texture beneath him, he looks down amongst the debris of the mess he created and finds a parchment stuck to the bottom of his boot. He frowns when he finds Gale's letter, obviously worn from Katniss's constant holding and reading. Flipping it over, he reads the other side. "Grand Hotel, St. Petersburg," he says to himself. He realizes now the potential of what's going on that he knew nothing about. He'd suddenly like a word with Haymitch. But when he steps outside of the barrabarra, he finds that Haymitch is gone and Finn is waiting for him. So he pockets the letter, throws his arm under Finn's and they begin to walk.

"I really am sorry, Peeta," Finn says. He's not doing a very good job of keeping his voice even.

"It's not your fault. I should've been home."

"No, if you were home, then Poky would've been home too. That would've been so much worse."

"Shit. What do we tell her?" Peeta runs his hands through his hair.

"The truth? That I fucked up, and now we both have to leave her too."

"Let's get your head checked first. You're not going anywhere without Prim's approval."

Finn stops in his tracks. "I'll let her look at me. But we both know I'm going," he says sternly. Peeta nods.

"I'll leave you at Prim's. Then I'm going to go get Poky. Probably better that everyone be under one roof for now... And I should probably stop by the infirmary, I have a feeling the girls left us some helpful supplies."

And so they do just that. Over the course of the next hour, Prim tends to Finn while Peeta collects a satchel from the infirmary, and brings Mrs. Everdeen and Poky to Prim's barrabarra.

They rest together, huddled by the fire of the hearth. Prim tends to the baby Hazelle and Poky, while Mrs. Everdeen spoons stew into wooden bowls for the evening meal.

Prim puts the children to sleep in the back room and returns to the main room to find Peeta and Finnick huddled over the satchel.

"You're going after them. Aren't you?" Prim asks.

"Yes," Peeta says, strapping a holder to his waist and filling it with the various weapons Annie has created for them.

"What about Poky? You can't just leave her! What is something happens to you?"

"Prim, we have to," Peeta says.

"We can't just leave them there," Finn agrees.

"What about Paylor. She can help us rescue her and bring her back-"

"Bring her back WHERE? HERE?" Peeta explodes.

Finn brings a hand to Peeta's knee. Peeta stands, dropping Finn's hand and exits the barrabarra withouth another word.

He stands outside letting the cool night breeze calm him. He's alone with his thoughts, allowing them to wander just as Katniss's did when she began to suspect a bigger picture. Peeta is frustrated and he doesnt know what's going on.

"She didn't mean to upset you," Finn's says. Peeta knew he would follow him.

"I know. I feel like I'm losing my mind here."

"Why?"

Peeta pulls Gale's letter from his pocket and thrusts it into Finn's hands. Finn's read the letter before, but he scans the parchment again anyway.

"I don't understand," Finn finally says.

"Neither do I. But I don't think Gale died in Unalaska."

"Do you think Kat knows?"

Peeta shrugs. "Maybe. But it's not like her to keep things from me," he hedges. He knows Finn cannot say that with the same certainty.

"We'll go at dawn. Take the bidara around the south side of the island - keep out of their sight and make up the lost time."

Peeta looks into Finn's eyes. "We should go immediately."

"What about Poky?"

"I failed her. I failed her mother. I have to go get Katniss. And Annie," Peeta says.

Finn brings a hand up to Peeta's face and cups his jaw. He steps in closer as Peeta brings his hands up to rest on either side of Finn's neck. Their foreheads press together and they close their eyes.

"We'll save them," Finn whispers. His breathing shallows and Peeta's hands tighten their grip on him.

The loud boom of cannon fire forces them both to jump and break apart. Pillars of smoke rise high above the trees in the distance.

"We have to get out of here. Now." Peeta takes two steps backward as he watches the smoke rise higher. Each canon blast forces him to flinch.

Running back into the barrabarra, Peeta assumes control.

"Grab your emergency packs. No questions. We are all leaving. Now."

X

Peeta and Finn quietly lead their family down the unmarked path around the village towards their hidden bidara. Keeping Poky quiet was quite the challenge at first, but she complies with their requests as long as Peeta carries her. The real giveaway is baby Hazelle, who whimpers quietly as she sleeps in her mother's embrace.

Passing the Qasgiq, Peeta and Finn freeze at the sight. The building is aflame, with pillars of smoke thickly rising to the sky. Their eyes meet as they experience deja vu. Only, the night of their marriage celebration, they had run towards the fire. Despite the -at the time - unexplainable inebriated status, Gale, and Finn were able to help contain the fire, and prevent the loss of life, while Peeta tended to a drunk and unconscious Katniss. Rue and her sister, the girls who unknowingly siscovered alcohol, had accidentally knocked over an oil lamp, setting the fire that threatened to devastate the village. The fire burned through a patch if conifers and blueberry bushes as well as several small structures, including the building where they kept their winter supplies and emergency food rations. The fire that night was angry, and as Peeta watched a similar fire burn here ln korovin, he can still feel the heat of the russian's first influence, vefore they even set foot on Unalaska.

The cause of the behavior of people that night hadn't been discovered until it was repeated again, when the Russians introduced Vodka to Unalaska. Particularly interested in the Russian beverage were the elders, especially Haymitch...who is currently laying face-down on the ground, only feet from the fire.

Finn and Rory break away as the rest of the group gets down low and hides.

"Wake up, old man. It's time to go," Finn says nudging Haymitch awake.

"C-Coin," Haymitch stutters.

"We know. Time to go," Rory says helping Haymitch to his feet.

Rejoining their family and moving slowly, they approach the water. The fire has spread, claiming their hidden bidara and supplies. Peeta drops to his knees and tears threaten to fall from his face as he watches their escape plan burn to nothing.

"What's wrong, Anax?" Poky asks, still wrapped around him.

Peeta cannot bring himself to lie to his daughter, but the truth will only terrify her. And so he's silent for a long while, staring out at the cool calm of the nighttime water.

"Come with me. Quickly." a female voice begs.

Peeta spins around and blinks in disbelief at the sight of Madge Undersee. She's dressed strangely, in the garments the Russian soldiers wear, and she's a little worse for the wear since he last saw her back on Unalaska... but it's her.

"What are you doing here?" Finn asks.

"Helping you escape," she answers.

"Why?" Peeta asks.

"So you can save Katniss. And then go home."

"Home?" Peeta echoes.

"We have to move now. Let's go. My ship is-"

"Your ship?" Peeta interrupts. His head whips over to Haymitch, who wears a guilty expression. "What ship?" Peeta's eyes dart back and forth between Madge and Haymitch.

Madge looks towards Haymitch. "They don't know?"

"What the fuck is going on?" Finn demands.

"Nows not the time," Madge asserts. "We have to move." she walks around the curve of the island. Haymitch follows her without question.

"What's happening?" Prim inquires.

"I think we're going to get some answers." Peeta says. He holds tightly onto Poky as he follows Haymitch, it's not long before a large wooden ship -he's certain it's Russian, comes into view.

The Sv. Iermiia.

**Yeah...so... You may want to go read Makushin to explain a few things :)**


End file.
